


Something I Cannot Reveal

by panacea2032



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Drinking, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, One Night Stands, Secrets, Titan Shifters, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:22:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 25,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21933658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/panacea2032/pseuds/panacea2032
Summary: Glasses were clinked. Beer was downed in a gulp. A kiss was exchanged. A celebration was what it was supposed to be. A tragedy became what it was unexpected to be. Little did they know that the next day of their lives would not only bring a huge conflict, but a new life as well.A child was what Hanji least expected. But what terrified her more was the fact that the father was a cold, titan shredder.Who it is, you ask?Let's just say that he's the Captain that everybody fears.And she's way too petrified to even tell him.Hearts were broken, with secrets unspoken.Love had bloomed.But will it bring life to the world?Or will it carry humanity's doom?
Relationships: Hange Zoë/Levi
Comments: 56
Kudos: 288





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> If you are looking for some intense smut, then you're at the wrong place. Or at the wrong book, rather. I'm not really at best when it comes to lemony stuff. Sorry to ruin your expectations.
> 
> Before you begin, so you wouldn't be much confused, this story will take place six months after the battle with Annie and before the titan sighting that happened on the first episode of season 2. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER:  
> I own nothing but the story's plot. The characters and anything related to the original Anime and Manga series rightfully belong to Hajime Isayama.
> 
> THIS WAS ALSO PUBLISHED ON WATTPAD UNDER MY USERNAME @Imagine_Catastrophe

  
After the success of an expedition, with a new built base outside the walls for the use of future needs, the Survey Corps came home with heads held high. Much to everybody's surprise and and relief, no deaths have been recorded, though a lot of soldiers returned heavily injured. Still, everybody rejoiced at coming home whole.

In celebration, Smith arranged a feast for all of Survey Corps. Platters and platters of food was served, with meat this time, causing Sasha to go wild that Connie had to hold her down before she lunges herself at the tables filled with mouthwatering food. Everybody toasted at their success, raising their beer-filled mugs.

All gathered at the mess hall, obnoxious laughs and loud chatters filling the room. Though the noise wasn't as loud outside, the sound slightly muffled by the building's walls.

Up the stairs and in one of the rooms, one still chose to stay away from the ongoing celebration, isolated in her room with her fingers gripping a pen that wrote flawlessly on a white crisp paper. Gears turned in her head, reminiscing of the events that happened on the expedition as she wrote it in exact detail on the parchment.

Hanji adjusted her glasses, her tension easing up as she wrote the final sentence.

_''Regarding the success of this mission, humanity has took another step towards victory.''_

She heaved a sigh, placing down her pen and stretching her arms above her head. She took off her glasses for a moment, wallowing in the relief that she rarely experienced.

Her chestnut brown eyes suddenly caught an image of herself at a nearby mirror. She narrowed her eyes at the mess she called her hair. Honestly, she rarely cared for tidiness since she is focused mainly on work, and work, and more work. But now, since Erwin demanded that everybody should take a rest from all those stress, she finally got to notice the flaws in her appearance.

Without thinking it through, she reached up and tugged away the band that ties up her brown hair. The wild mess immediately dropped down to her shoulders at the sudden release.

She used her fingers to tame the brown locks, successfully straightening some stray strands.

Now it evidently looked more tidied up.

She stared at the mirror, registering the image of a stranger. She looked slightly different with her hair down and glasses off, much to her surprise.

Absently, she tugged a strand behind her ear, stuck in a trance at her strange looks.

_'You look absolutely bizarre, Hanji.'_ A voice in her head said.

At this, she snapped from her trance.

"Weirdo." She muttered under her breath. She took the band once again and began pull up her hair to tie it back.

"You should keep it down often."

She froze.

Instinctively, she turned to the doorway where she assumed the voice came from. She was about to stand but halted when she saw a patch of jet black hair . . . and the height.

"Levi!" She raised her eyebrows at him, dropping her arms as she momentarily forgot about her hair. "What are you doing here?"

Hanji noticed that Levi wasn't wearing his brown jacket, leaving his top in his white button up shirt with rolled up sleeves and his usual white cravat.

"I should be asking you the same question." Levi shot back.

The woman instinctively stood, taking the paper she wrote on before hiding it inside a drawer. "I was just finishing up a report, that's all. And you?"

"Bored out of my wits."

"So you came to my room because you had nothing to do?" Hanji raised an eyebrow.

"I was just passing by when I saw your door slightly ajar. Didn't think I'd find you still here inside."

"Why so?"

Levi rolled his eyes. "Tch. Normally, you'd be down there right now, drinking and talking to people about your experiments even if they don't give a shit about those."

At the mention of 'experiment', Hanji absently tapped her pocket, feeling the small vial of liquid she had kept. She inwardly smirked.

"Oi. You've grown suspiciously silent there." Levi growled, immediately putting his guard up.

"Oh, it's nothing! I just spaced out for a moment." Hanji waved dismissively at him.

The Captain rolled his eyes. "Come on. The celebration's not over yet. That damn eyebrows would go looking for us once he find that we're missing."

Hanji didn't protest. She quickly put on her glasses and immediately stepped out of the room with Levi waiting outside. She raised her hands again to pull her hair up in a ponytail. Yet before she could even secure the tie, her hands were harshly slapped away with the hair tie being snatched in the process.

"H-hey!" She turned to the raven as he kept away the stretchy band in his pocket.

"I said you should keep it down, dimwit." He glared at her.

"But Levi--"

"No."

And with that, the man walked forward ahead of her, causing Hanji to follow behind and pester him about giving her tie back, which he kept declining to.

**~~~~~~~~~~**


	2. This Night

The mess hall was overflowing with warmth, a mixed stench of the slowly disappearing food and booze, and loud with laughs, shouts, and casual conversation. On one corner of the room, a group had gathered around a table with a couple of soldiers stuck in a game of cards. Across the room, another group of men drank their umpteenth round of beer, and most of them already passed out.

Levi and Hanji entered the huge room, the raven scrunching up his nose immediately at the scene.

"Filthy." He grumbled, glaring at the unconscious drunkards scattered everywhere.

Hanji on the other hand immediately forgot about her hair tie at the sight of booze.

"Nah. You really gotta loosen up sometime, shorty." She received a death glare at the name. She only grinned goofily in response, pretending to not notice the daggers he was shooting from those slits he called eyes.

"C'mon. Let's go get some of those babies." Hanji threw an arm around Levi's shoulders, pulling him forward. The man immediately recoiled and shook the arm off him in disgust.

"You're seriously not telling me to drink, are you?" Levi narrowed his eyes at her, if that was even possible.

Hanji snickered. "Oh please. Don't be such a boring old man, short stack. Get a life! Or I'll purposely spread horse crap around your office."

The raven's eyebrow ticked, trying to keep himself calm as he held back the urge to assassinate her right then and there. Yet before he could even take another action, his wrist was abruptly pulled forward and before he knew it, he was sitting at a table, with two bottles of rum in front of him. Hanji sat across from him, a suspicious gleam in her eyes.

Even though he was considered as Humanity's Strongest, even he cannot stop Humanity's Smartest when she's determinedly up to something. Her strength could extremely be despicable sometimes.

"You finally came."

He turned to his right, seeing Erwin take a seat beside Hanji. He rolled his eyes.

"Shit no. Don't tell me you two schemed this up." He growled.

Erwin raised his eyebrows. "No, not at all. I was actually quite surprised that you're drinking."

"Tch." Was Levi's only response.

"Wanna join us, Erwin?" Hanji turned to the blonde.

The man shook his head. "I've had enough alcohol for the night."

The woman scoffed. "I don't think so, big guy!"

She filled three mugs with the golden brown liquid, distributing the two to Erwin and Levi. "Drink up!"

The Captain raised a disbelieving eyebrow at her. "I doubt that you'd be able to handle more than two mugs."

"Oh shut up, shortie." Hanji raised her mug, drinking a few gulps before slamming it back down with her face scrunched up in distaste.

~•°*°•~

Half an hour later, the scientist was already too disoriented to even speak properly.

Levi scoffed, triumph evident in his features as he drank from his third mug, still very much sober. "I told you you won't last more than two mugs, shitty glasses."

Hanji glared at him, her head weakly raising from the wooden table. "I...I'm not...d-dr-drunk! M-maybe...you-u are." She slurred, a hiccup escaping her lips.

The raven rolled his eyes and turned away, obviously not wanting to deal with an alcoholic in denial. He turned to Erwin, who was surprisingly beginning to sway in his seat.

"Don't tell me you're fucking drunk as well?"

The blonde lightly shook his head. "I'm afraid I might be. But I'm still sane enough to talk and walk properly." He turned to the woman beside him. "Unlike this careless one here."

Levi huffed, running a hand through his hair.

"I must say," he turned back when the Commander spoke again. "It's actually quite surprising for you to have high tolerance to alcohol when you never drink."

Levi didn't miss the slight slur on the Commander's tone.

He looked around and immediately glared in disgust at his surroundings. Nearly all of the soldiers - mostly men - were passed out drunk on the tables and floors. Even Connie wasn't spared. Only a few people remained awake and composed, and that includes Mikasa, Sasha, Eren, Christa, Armin, and a few more others.

Hanji immediately noticed Levi's observation around the room, and with her messed up head abruptly formulating a dubious plan, she rose from her slumped position with a newfound - yet slightly strange - determination. Scheming to poison the man's drink a _'little'_ bit, she silently pulled out the vial from her pocket and checked if the raven wasn't watching. Once she rendered that the coast was safe and clear, she hastily pulled off the vial's cork. But with her clumsiness, the cork fell to the floor with a clatter, successfully obtaining Levi's attention.

Without thinking, she poured the vial's contents into her mouth instead and prevented from swallowing. She inwardly cringed at the sour taste that gathered in her mouth, but she had to contain it.

Levi raised an eyebrow at her strange action, and she only smiled on response, unable to speak because of the liquid inside her mouth.

"What was that, four eyes?"

Hanji only stared at him with a tilted head, faking innocence.

The Captain sighed. "You really are dru--"

Then it happened.

It came in a blur.

An event that neither of them could comprehend.

It just happened.

Her messed up thoughts getting the best of her, she pulled Levi forward through his cravat.

His calm head absolutely not anticipating anything, he was abruptly pulled forward with force.

Their faces neared.

And their lips locked.

~•°*°•~


	3. The Aftermath

Morning dawned over the headquarters way too quickly for the soldiers. Christa and the others who were clearheaded enough tended to the recovering men, giving out medicines to ease their expected hangovers. Some were putting the disarrayed mess hall back into its organized arrangement, clearing the place off of any kind of dirt in fear of a certain Corporal's fury.

Right after receiving the treatment for his own headache, Erwin trekked up to his office, his head finally beginning clear up. To be read reports and letters await on his desk, and he need no more time wasted.

_Thump!_

He immediately stopped in his tracks.

Rotating his head around, his piercing blue eyes glared at a door from which the abrupt noise came up through.

It was Levi's room.

Curiosity getting the best of him, he turned to the door, raising a fist in an attempt to knock.

"Commander!"

He halted and turned, spotting Sasha who was approaching him from across the hallway. The brown haired girl carried a few scrolls and envelopes in her hands, raising it to the the blonde leader.

"There's mail for you, sir. The messenger said it's urgent."

Erwin sighed, turning the other way. More work. "You may drop it at my office. I'll attend to it after I get some tea."

Sasha obediently bowed, unable to salute because of her filled hands. "Roger, sir!"

The leader nodded at her. "You may go."

Once Sasha was gone, Erwin turned back to the door. As much as he wanted to know what is happening behind that piece of wood, work awaited him. With one final glance, he began to head back to the mess hall to grab something to digest before officially starting another day of work, and work, and more work.

~•°*°•~

The bed was indeed not that spacious.

Pain shot up from every inch of her body once she rolled off and hit the floor, a muffled groan escaping her lips. She tried to sit up, but her limbs strangely just won't listen to her demands.

It felt as if her nerves were cut off. Strength was nowhere to be found, making her unable to move her arms or legs. So instead, she relied on her senses to analyze her current situation.

Unfortunately, she couldn't find the strength to open her eyes just yet. But even without her eyesight, her brain slowly began to pick up clues about her predicament just by the strong scent of powerful cleaners that entered her sensitive nostrils.

If she had to guess, she's inside Levi's room.

And on the floor, no less.

No such room in this building could ever smell like this one.

Then the gears in her head suddenly started to formulate an important question.

Why was she here?

As if on cue, her ears began to pick up a strange noise that came from somewhere near. When she concentrated her hearing on the muffled sound, she realized they were snores.

Somebody's still sound asleep.

Out of habit, she gulped, instantly wincing at the strong taste of what seemed like rum which had lingered around her mouth. It gave her the indication that she had been drinking recently.

Wait, _drinking_?!

She shuffled through her messed up head for anything that could make her remember the events of the previous night. Unfortunately, her memories were still fogged.

Until it struck her.

Drinking?

Levi's room?

Sleeping?

The worst hypothetical scenario entered her head, and her eyes immediately snapped open. Without thinking, she sat up abruptly, causing a new wave of pain to take its hit on her limbs. She groaned, clenching her teeth and rubbing her aching forehead. Black dots momentarily danced on her vision, and she carefully blinked to clear them.

She immediately wished she hadn't.

The minute her gaze fell on her own self, it startled her to find scratches and a few purple bruises covering her skin. But what shocked her more was the fact that she was indeed...

...naked.

From head

to toe.

Her pain was instantly forgotten, and she can't help but stare at her bruised self.

A familiar groan entered her range of hearing, and she turned to the bed to find a man barely covered in sheets with the same dilemma as her.

He was also very much naked.

The gears in her head turned at a wild speed as she tried to comprehend the current situation she and the man is stuck in. Then it occurred.

Although slightly blurred, small flashes of the events that could've happened appeared in her head, just like a ruined film.

_The mugs of beer she downed..._

_The vial_ _containing_ _some_ _greenish_ _fluid..._

_The plan that looked more like a prank..._

_The kiss._

She froze at that, yet it seems like it doesn't stop there yet.

_The dark hallway..._

_Their swaying steps..._

_A door being unlocked..._

_A white shirt being shredded off..._

_A pair of boots being taken off..._

_Her glasses dropping to the floor..._

Another kiss.

A **_passionate_** one.

Then a blank.

A temporary dead end, perhaps.

She could feel her jaw dropping to the floor, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. She couldn't find the strength to move. Heck, she couldn't even find the will to blink.

Somehow, her eyes found the man that laid asleep on the bed once again.

That's when utter realization finally hit her like a stampede of titans.

The clock suddenly stopped ticking.

The birds outside abruptly stopped chirping.

The man strangely stopped snoring.

And she soon found herself not breathing.

They . . . did **_it_**.

She couldn't breathe. She couldn't speak. She couldn't scream. She couldn't even blink.

There are no other logical explanation for this. They obviously did.

It was when her constricted lungs began to beg for oxygen did she snap out of her trance. She gasped for air, not knowing how long she hadn't been ingesting air.

Adrenaline instantly pumped through her veins, and she soon found herself standing and putting on each of her clothes quickly yet silently, ignoring the pain that stung from her bottom. She didn't bother to fumble with the belts before she bolted out of the room, nearly running towards her own quarters. Once she was inside and had her door locked, that's when the dam broke.

She leaned back on the door, a fist coming up to cover her mouth to prevent her from screaming. Tears pooled and cascaded down her cheeks like endless bullets, and she did no such attempts to stop them.

She had did it. She had an intimate interaction with a man.

She thought she wouldn't care about it much. But oh hell, no. She was still a woman. A woman who wanted nothing but to learn more about the predators that kept hunting them. A woman who had practically dedicated her whole life to humanity. A woman who barely desires to even have a romantic relationship with the opposite sex.

It was never her intention to come into this situation. To have one of the few things that she have left be lost.

But it was too late.

The damage has been done.

And it is beyond repair.

She had done it!

But not with just some random soldier.

That soldier was Humanity's Strongest.

That soldier was the man she had tried not to love.

That man...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


...it was Levi.

~•°*°•~


	4. Who is to Blame?

"Squad Leader."

"Squad Leader!"

"Squad Leader Hanji,"

" _Hanji-_ _san_ _!_ "

The scientist immediately snapped out of her trance at the last call that finally managed to reach her ears. She turned to her dark haired subordinate, who had been trying to get her attention for the past six minutes.

"What is it, Moblit?"

The man sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "The Commander calls for a brief meeting, Squad Leader."

Now it was Hanji's turn to sigh, not really in the mood. _What does he want now?_

She reluctantly stood from her seat before exiting the lab, leaving Moblit with an order to put the laboratory apparatuses back to their shelves.

~•°*°•~

"Good morning~" Hanji yawned, bringing up a fist in a lazy salute at the Commander. Erwin, who had been sipping tea, nearly spitted out the beverage in his mouth at the bursting appearance of the scientist and only gave a firm nod in response.

The woman lazily stretched her arms, plopping herself down on a seat in front of the Commander's desk. "So, what's today's agenda?"

Erwin intertwined his hands behind him formally, leaving his beverage down on the table. "We'll have a discussion about the plan regarding Eren's travel to Shiganshina, and the sealing of Wall Maria."

The woman yawned again out of boredom, crossing her arms behind her head. "It's back to the real world, then."

Erwin glanced at the Squad Leader, his eyes filled with slight suspicion. Almost immediately, his head drifted back to last night's occurrence.

"Levi's not with you?"

This caught the Squad Leader off guard. At the dreaded mention of the Corporal, her shoulders reactively tensed for a moment at the sudden change of subject, and the blonde leader didn't miss this.

"N-no." Her fingers fumbled with her bangs, tucking away a stray strand that blocked her eye sight. "Why do you ask?"

The man turned to the window, gazing out at the fields filled with training soldiers. "You were the last person Levi was with yesterday night, correct?"

Hanji suddenly found the tiny dents on the desk interesting, her upbeat mood stripped away in the blink of an eye. "My memories of last night were unfortunately quite hazy, so I don't really remember much."

That wasn't entirely a lie. What truly happened the other night didn't really appear clear in her head, leaving her with only tiny pieces of the puzzle. But still, those small flashbacks gave her an obvious clue of what really occurred when both the Captain and her were disoriented.

Something entirely wrong.

For a few moments, the Commander was silent, as if he was slightly reluctant to speak. Then, he suddenly grew even more humorless, turning to the woman. "Tell me honestly, Zoë." The scientist froze. Erwin never calls her by her last name, unless it regards to something _critically_ serious. She hesitantly looked up at the man's sharp blue eyes, and inwardly cursed when she remembered that she wasn't wearing her glasses. The man narrowed his eyes earnestly. "Did something happen between you and the Lance Corporal last night?"

Her lungs suddenly felt constricted as bile instantly rose up her throat. Images of last night's activity began flashing back to her head, and she suddenly sensed the urge to bail out.

She blankly stared at the blonde leader, attempting to put up the innocent façade, but then failing miserably. "What do you mean, sir?"

Erwin unceremoniously sat on his seat, staring directly into the scientist's eyes. "You can't fake your innocence regarding this subject, Hanji. I was a witness to everything that happened at the mess hall last night."

Now that was something the woman had least expected.

The gears in her head suddenly twisted into an overdrive, her brain trying to vaguely remember the events at the mess hall twelve hours ago. She only managed to grasp on a few bits, leaving her uncertain. But it did struck her that a tall man was seated with the two of them when everything occurred, downing his own share of beer.

At first, his identity was unclear to the scientist. But the minute she found the blue eyes that man had, she froze.

_Erwin_ _._

She breathlessly turned to the blonde Commander seated from across the desk. " _You_ _..._ " she breathed, unable to finish.

"I saw it all. Even though I had downed rounds of beer past my limit, I was still sane enough to know what _you_ have done." Erwin slightly leaned forward, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "Now tell me, what was inside that vial?"

The vial.

She absently scratched her palm out of habit. The fluid inside that vial was completely untested, mostly because of the reason that they haven't captured any valuable titan test subject yet. But with curiosity finally killing the cat, she planned to try it out on their resident Titan Shifter, Eren, on that designated night. But, because of the sudden turn of events and with the gears in her head barely functioning correctly due to all the alcohol she ingested, she ended up using the Corporal as the experiment's guinea pig instead. A big mistake she deemed can no longer be corrected.

Now look at where it got them.

"An untested titan tranquilizer." She muttered loud enough for Erwin to hear. The man's eyes seemed to widen for a moment, but then quickly regained his composure, growing even more serious.

"And what does it do to humans? Does it make them lulled like how it was originally supposed to take effect?" The blonde inquired. Hanji didn't miss the slight drop in his tone.

"It tranquilizes humans, yes." Hanji looked up, her formal scientific investigator façade returning, but with her chipper mood still missing. "But if my hypothesis is correct, it takes about an hour or so before the tranquilizer takes effect, since the subject wasn't a titan."

"And does it have some side effects?"

"Yes." The woman inwardly cringed at this. Her thoughts began to run back mentally to the notes she scribbled down in exact detail. "Before the human subject becomes tranquilized, he or she may experience disorientation and hallucinations. And after the subject awakes at approximately eight hours later, they may have some kind of mild amnesia for a few days or so." She looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Or at least that's what my hypothesis says."

Erwin folded his hands in front of him formally, slowly registering the new information the scientist has given him. "So it somehow acts similar to alcohol, then." He thought aloud.

Hanji only gave a nod in response.

"And when this was given to the Corporal last night, what happened next?"

Again, the emotional wall Hanji had began to carefully rebuild, faltered and crumbled back to bits.

"He was the one who had insisted on leading you to your room last night, since you weren't sober enough to walk without slamming into something. And now," he unceremoniously inhaled the air in between them in one sniff. "you reeked the lemon scent of cleaners, indicating that you have been from Levi's room instead of yours. So why is that?"

The woman couldn't speak. Curse Erwin and his keen observations. She opened her mouth once or twice, but no words came tumbling out. Suddenly, she could feel her cheeks heating up, and her shoulders tensing back up. She absently reached up to rub the side of her neck, and little to her knowledge, a small purple bruise was etched there. When she dropped her hand back to her lap, Erwin, who's gaze was led to her neck because of the sudden action, caught sight of the small hickey that was nearly hidden by her side fringe.

Immediately, his head began to analyze the situation, and his eyes instantly widened by a fraction. Everything was slowly falling into place. "Wait, _you_ _didn't_ _._. ." He trailed off, his tone asking for a confirmation.

Her voice unfortunately wasn't found yet. Heck, she couldn't even open her mouth anymore. She absently inhaled a huge amount of oxygen, her hold tightening on the chair's arm.

Her silence, however, brought an affirmative answer to Erwin's suspicions.

In an instant, the scientist could practically feel the boiling anger mixed with shock radiating off the Commander.

"Hanji," Erwin seethed, not finding the will to scream. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. " _What_ _did_ _you_ _do_ _?!_ "

"I know, it is _my_ fault." A spur of words tumbled out of her mouth suddenly, and for some reason, she could not stop it. "And I would gladly take the whole blame for that. But Erwin,"

She pleadingly gazed into the blonde's eyes. "Don't let Levi get further involved in this."

"But Hanji, he is _already_ involved!"

"I know. _I_ _know_ _._ " She dropped her gaze down on the desk, her fingers twitching. "Just, please, even if he can't remember, I don't want him to know. I just," For a moment, she hesitated. "I just don't want him to feel like he is to blame for this as well."

Levi was a man of respect. He's probably the most decent one Humanity has ever been graced with. Even though he was known for being rough and cold, he still regards women and treats them as someone equal, and not as someone men can get to bed with. Although, getting into a romantic relationship with the opposite sex never crossed his mind, since he has practically _devoted_ his entire life fighting for the sake of Humanity. Now, Hanji doesn't know how he would react once he finds out that he had an _intimate_ interaction with someone. And it wasn't just some random woman on the streets. It was someone he _works_ with. It was someone he _fights_ with.

_If_ he ever woke up that time, seeing her with him on that bed and on that kind of situation, Hanji could nearly imagine his face twisting with regret. She could nearly think of him apologizing, and saying that it was never meant to happen. Then things would get uncomfortable and he'd push her away. Hanji didn't want that. The mere thought of losing him was the main reason on why she left and kept her mouth sealed shut.

She feared rejection. But most of all, she feared his regret and guilt. Knowing him, he'd probably blame himself as well for not being able to stop himself, which was very stupid if you ask Hanji. She never wanted Levi to feel even the slightest bit of guilt, because on the very first place, it was entirely _her_ mistake to begin with.

So she'd rather die than having him know about this conflict.

"You love him that much, don't you."

Her train of thoughts abruptly took a halt, as if the rails were broken beyond repair.

_What_ _?!_

Hanji's head snapped up, her eyes wide at the Commander's statement. Erwin had a faint smile etched on his lips, most his frustrated aura gone. He finally understood _why_ _._ She had loved the man, yet he figured she was too blind and ignorant to even notice it. Just last night, amidst their alcohol-caused disorientation, Hanji had confessed, and had practically poured out all her emotions. Maybe the woman failed to remember it, but Erwin did, and he had suspected that maybe she was only saying those things because of the liquor. But now, her loyalty and concern for the Corporal had successfully proven the fact that she had indeed fallen hopelessly in love for the man. Erwin smiled in understanding, getting up from his seat and approaching Hanji from the other side of the desk.

All the woman could do was stare as the man neared her. But when his arms wrapped her in a loose yet warm embrace, she gasped, not knowing what to do.

"Alright. I won't tell." He softly said. "But you have to promise me that you'll confess to him about all this someday. Whether you like it or not, he still has the right to know, Hanji."

At this, Hanji eased her tension, relaxing in the arms of the Commander before awkwardly wrapping her own arms around the man as well. "Thank you, Erwin." She whispered.

The man only tapped her back comfortingly in response.

For a moment, Hanji _nearly_ didn't want to leave the Commander's embrace. It had already been a long time since somebody ever showed her some genuine affection.

But at the moment when she was about to _attempt_ to pull away, the door unceremoniously opened without warning, and a certain Captain froze in his spot.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


"Am I interrupting something?"

~•°*°•~


	5. Hazy

"...We'll be bringing lesser supply carts if we want to get to Shiganshina more quickly."

"But if we do, it would ruin the formation."

"Not when we decrease our numbers as well. We'll have a bigger chance of dodging the titans if we are smaller..."

For the rest of the 'meeting', Hanji chose to zone it out as her heavy eyelids suddenly felt like dropping. Her exhaustion had began to take its toll, making her forget the most recent conversation she had with Erwin before Levi came barging in at the worst moment. For five days straight, she hadn't been able to get a proper eight hour sleep, and since her momentary submission to oblivion last night wasn't that favorably satisfying and relaxing, her body was now begging her for some rest.

She leaned on one hand, releasing a loud yawn. Two pairs of eyes turned to her at the sudden noise, breaking their serious discussion for a moment.

Then, from out of the blue, Levi yawned as well.

Apparently, yawns were indeed proven to be contagious.

"Quit provoking me to sleep, Four-eyes." The Captain grumbled, running a hand down his face.

Hanji weakly glared at the man sitting beside her, a string of uncontrolled words escaping her mouth. "It's not my fault that you never got to sleep properly last night."

She resisted the urge to slap herself. _Last night..._ Oh hell, it was definitely her fault alright.

From the corner of her eye, she could see Erwin throw her a wary glare.

Levi turned to her, eyeing her daggers through the slits he called eyes. "As far as I can _remember_..."

In an instant, all evident exhaustion vanished in a flash, it being replaced by shock and fear. _He_ _remembered_ _?!_

The raven suddenly pointed an accusing finger at her. "...you were the one who dragged me to the mess hall to drink. Now I wake up with a _fucking_ headache."

For a moment, the woman eased.

"Do you remember anything else aside from drinking four mugs of booze last night?" Erwin suddenly asked.

Now it was Hanji's turn to send the Commander a glare, her hand absently grasping the edge of her seat in an iron grip.

The blonde only spared her a brief glance of assurance, telling her that he knew what he was doing.

"That was _four_ mugs? Hell, I thought I drank an entire fucking barrel."

Levi rubbed his forehead, which still pounded with some remnants of the fading headache. His eyebrows scrunched in concentration, indicating that he was reminiscing the events of the previous night.

"But that's the case here. I don't remember a shit after finishing another fucking round."

It was enough to make Hanji heave a breath she didn't know she was holding. Levi gave her a weird look, but chose to not prod.

"Must have been the effects of the alcohol." The dark haired man crossed his arms. "It seems weird, though. I usually make it til seven rounds of that poison. I'm surprised I was down for the count on my fourth one."

"Maybe you just give yourself too much credit." Hanji huffed, her joking mood returning bit by bit. "Too much that your height can no longer contain it."

She got a death glare as a response.

Erwin shifted in his seat, clearing his throat to break the growing tension between the two. "Alright. Getting back to business, Hanji,"

The woman turned away from her little staring contest with Levi, giving her attention back to the Commander.

The blonde pulled out a sheet of paper from a shelf, handing it to the scientist. "I need you to clarify a proposed strategy from Commander Pixis. I want a second opinion regarding this subject."

Hanji took the neat parchment in her hands, her eyes scanning over the page. But when she saw the blurry content, she remembered she didn't have her glasses on.

She rose from her seat, briefly excusing herself before exiting the office to retrieve her glasses.

Levi picked up the paper she left behind, scrutinizing the details. Yet once he realized that they were symbols, or maybe an unknown language, his face scrunched up in irritation.

"Is this a written report? Or a drawing?" He thought aloud.

Erwin leaned his elbows on the desk, his hands intertwining. "It's a report. But the language is quite perplexing."

The raven haired man threw the parchment back to the table, groaning. "Perplexing, my ass. I don't understand a shit."

The Commander calmly sat back in his seat. "This meeting is concluded. You are dismissed. Deliver this report to the Squad Leader, if you may."

"Isn't she going to return?" Levi groaned.

"Yes. But I doubt that she'd be able to after seeing her bed."

"Tch." Was the man's only response before rising, snatching the paper as he went out, not bothering a farewell.

~•°*°•~

Drawers were opened, bed sheets were peeled off, and even secret compartments were unlocked, but she still could not find her aids for a clearer eyesight.

She settled for her battle goggles for now, but it wasn't really that much helpful to keep her view in a clear quality. Battle goggles were specifically made for a wide ranged sight, unlike normal glasses.

Hanji glanced around her room, which looked even more disordered than before. The pillows were strewn off, the books which she kept in shelves were thrown out of their usual arrangement, closet doors were opened, and numerous articles of her clothing were scattered on the floor.

All in all, her quarters looked like it was recently raided by Titans.

_Levi's_ _gonna_ _drop_ _dead_ _with_ _all_ _this_ _mess_ _._ She mentally quipped.

She began to reach down, trying to pick up the candle holder which had fallen off from the nightstand.

**_"_ ** **_You_ ** **** **_know_ ** **** **_I've_ ** **** **_always_ ** **** **_admired_ ** **** **_you_ ** **_,_ ** **_shorty_ ** **_."_ **

Her arm abruptly halted mid-air, her hand stopping inches away from the object.

_That_ _voice_ _..._

Hanji didn't know how long she hadn't been moving, but one thing was for sure; that was definitely her voice. It took her a minute to realize that the voice was echoing in her head, as if replaying a certain recording.

**_"_ ** **_Oh_ ** **_?_ ** **_Care_ ** **** **_to_ ** **** **_elaborate_ ** **_?"_ **

Her breath hitched. Disregarding the slight slur in his tone which indicated that he is barely sober, that still definitely sounded like Levi.

**_"_ ** **_I_ ** **** **_love_ ** **** **_you_ ** **_."_ **

Silence.

Everything suddenly went soundless. It was as if the world had practically stopped rotating.

Did she . . . _say_ _that_?!

No, that _couldn't_ have happened.

But nonetheless, under the influence of alcohol, it _could_ have.

Her head suddenly began to pound. All this confusing information was suddenly giving her a headache.

Then it happened.

The voices...

_**"Cheers!"** _

_**"** _ _**You're** _ __ _**drunk** _ _**."** _

...echoed louder...

_**"** _ _**I** _ __ _**don't** _ __ _**care** _ _**!"** _

_**"** _ _**But** _ __ _**I** _ __ _**do** _ _**."** _

...like a broken record.

She didn't know when she started trembling, or how she even got herself sitting on her bed. Her hands were cradling her head and covering her ears, as if it would stop the noise from coming.

**_"_ ** **_Let's_ ** **** **_get_ ** **** **_you_ ** **** **_back_ ** **** **_up_ ** **_."_ **

**_"_ ** **_But_ ** **** **_I'm_ ** **** **_fiiiiine_ ** **** **_on_ ** **** **_my_ ** **** **_own~_ ** **_!"_ **

**_"_ ** **_You're_ ** **** **_too_ ** **** **_drunk_ ** **** **_to_ ** **** **_even_ ** **** **_walk_ ** **_."_ **

**_"_ ** **_You_ ** **** **_are_ ** **** **_too_ ** **_!"_ **

Maybe, just maybe, this was a memory. But if it was, then it really did happen...

...right?

**_"_ ** **_Why_ ** **** **_are_ ** **** **_you_ ** **** **_so_ ** **** **_short_ ** **_?"_ **

**_"_ ** **_Got_ ** **** **_a_ ** **** **_problem_ ** **_?"_ **

**_"_ ** **_Yeah~_ ** **_!_ ** **_I_ ** **** **_have_ ** **** **_to_ ** **** **_bend_ ** **** **_just_ ** **** **_so_ ** **** **_I_ ** **** **_could_ ** **** **_kiss_ ** **** **_you_ ** **_."_ **

**_"_ ** **_What--_ ** **_"_ **

"What's going on here?"

Her blood ran cold.

As if on cue, all the throbbing ceased to a minimum, all the trembles came to a halt, and only one thought ran through her disheveled head.

That last voice definitely didn't speak from her mind.

That wasn't a memory. It was real.

A voice she knew all too well.

"Oi, Four Eyes. The hell is wrong with you?"

She barely held back a flinch as her eyes turned to the doorway, her hands still cradling her head. Just like she thought, Levi stood there with an irritated look, along with another expression she failed to decipher. Absently, she lowered her arms, letting them limply fall back to her lap.

Little to her knowledge, her blank eyes began to gather moist.

"L-Lev--"

But then, oblivion just had to welcome her at the wrong moment.

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

~•°*°•~

Levi heaved a sigh, blankly staring at the knocked out figure of Hanji on the bed. The light snores that escaped her throat indicated that she had fallen asleep.

"Tch. This place is full of shit." He glared at the cluttered room. He resisted the urge to burn down the Squad Leader's quarters from all this mess.

His instincts kicking in, he took out a duster and a broom from the nearest supply closet before beginning his job. He left the door open as he began taking out the unnecessary trash littering everywhere, then proceeding to fold her scattered shirts and pants back to their respective drawers. Putting back the books happened to be quite difficult, since the shelves were unfortunately out of his reach. In the end, he opted to pile the remaining books on her desk instead, right after clearing its surface from any mess.

After a few minutes, he sighed in content, his eyes scanning the room which turned out to be as good as new. Closets were closed, the tables were cleared, the floor was swept.

All in all, the room was completely spotless, _almost_ identical to his.

Then his eyes retreated back to the woman who lay on a rather uncomfortable position on her bunk. Hanji's right leg was dangling off the bed, while her left one was folded at an odd angle. Her left arm was squeezed under her back. How that happened, he didn't know. Her wild brown hair, which happened to break free from its loose ties, nearly served as the pillow which her head laid on in the middle of the mattress.

Quite unsurprisingly, she still managed to sleep in peace.

But still rather disturbed by this arrangement, he stepped forward and gently took out her left arm under her before lightly grabbing her shoulders and pulling her body into a position he deems comfortable. He silently lifted her dangling leg back to the bed, then grabbing a pillow and gingerly placing it under her head which he managed to carry without waking her.

For a brief moment, her face was buried to his chest ever so lightly when he raised her head as he situated the pillow under her. Once Levi placed her back down, she momentarily stirred, but luckily did not wake.

Finally, he unfolded a blanket before draping it over her body. The weather these days had began to get chilly, and the least he needed now was a Squad Leader waking up with a cold.

Noticing the goggles that still remained strapped around her head, he quietly unhooked the straps at one side of her head, gently taking the goggles off her face. A question as to why she was wearing these instead of her usual round glasses popped into his head, but decided to inquire later when she's back up.

Levi silently sighed, straightening back up. His eyes glazed over her sleeping figure for a quick moment, before turning to the desk to place the parchment which he had been ordered to deliver.

He turned to leave, his eyes glancing back at her sleeping face in confirmation that she'll be alright.

But when he saw the smallest gleam reflecting from her cheek, he halted.

Levi slowly retraced his steps, narrowing his eyes at what he suspected to be a trick of the light. The glimmer was so tiny that it could be missed by anyone, but Levi was a different case. When his eyes found the thin thread of water that crossed her cheek, his suspicions were confirmed.

A tear.

A fresh wet tear had managed to escape her closed eyelids and travel down her face. Hanji slightly shifted, her face no longer as peaceful as before. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of dream the woman was having behind those lids that it actually made her tears begin flowing.

Then his thoughts retraced back to his first appearance at her doorway; the woman was shaking and holding her head which was evidently throbbing. When he called for her attention, she looked at him with horrified eyes, which later on got masked by blankness.

Absently, he reached into one of his breast pockets and fished out a handkerchief, leaning down to gently wipe the wet trail the tear had left behind on its descend.

Levi sighed, no longer bothering to be silent. "What the hell is going on with you, shitty glasses?"

~•°*°•~


	6. Find Who, Again?

Hanji awoke with a jolt, her slightly bleary eyes scanning around the unrecognizable yet surprisingly clean room. It took her a moment to realize that it was hers, and when she did, she snapped up to a sitting position in astonishment that her room was actually tidy.

From the impending darkness the skies were retaining outside her window, it was night. How long had she been sleeping, she didn't know.

A yawn abruptly broke out of her lips as she swung a leg over the bed, noticing just then that a blanket had been draped over her. Her face warped with confusion. _She_ _hadn't_ _been_ _covered_ _with_ _a_ _blanket_ _when_ _she_ _fell_ _to_ _slumber_ _,_ _right_ _?_

Her eyes, although having a small difficulty of seeing clearly, spotted her battle goggles on the desk. Again, she was confused. _Wasn't_ _she_ _wearing_ _those_ _when_ _she_ _fell_ _asleep_ _?_

And finally,

_Where_ _did_ _all_ _that_ _mess_ _go_ _?_

But her train of thought suddenly cut to a halt when her stomach decided to howl in hunger. She inwardly cursed. She couldn't ignore this anymore, perhaps.

Hanji grudgingly rose from the bed, leaving the room with still waking legs. The hallways were dark and silent, indicating that it was late and everyone else had already retired to their respective beds.

Following her mental map towards the kitchen, Hanji trekked forward in the dark, cursing one more time when she'd forgotten to bring her goggles again. Her only aid to seeing her way was the faint moonlight that shone through the lined up windows in each alleyway. Not bothering to be quiet, her feet stepped a little too heavily on the wooden flooring, creating an unnecessary echoing noise. Another grumble of hunger broke the small silence that gripped the air. She huffed, passing a door without noticing the dim golden light that peeked through its edges. She kept on forward, her mind settled on the food she was planning to digest, making her ears fail to catch the unceremonious creak of a door when it swung open.

But it was his voice that made her successfully stop.

"Stomp any louder and you'll wake the entire building, shitty-glasses."

In an instant, her steps stopped, and she reluctantly turned to the owner of the voice she'd recognize anywhere. When her brown eyes locked with steel gray ones, a sudden sense of goofiness made her forget her momentary conflict.

"I'm not even wearing glasses, short stack." She puffed out, crossing her arms.

Levi gave her a once-over, ignoring her statement. "And what were you doing in the middle of night? Scavenging for some titan shit?"

Hanji opened her mouth to retort, but the sudden roar from her grumbling stomach beat her to it. Warmth rose up to her cheeks, and Levi raised his eyebrows knowingly.

"I see." He drawled out teasingly.

The scientist glared at the man with narrowed eyes. When she realized that her cheeks never ceased to burn red, she twisted on her heel before continuing forward in a faster - and _quieter_ \- pace.

"Bring me some tea on your way back." His call pierced through the air. _So_ _much_ _for_ _being_ _quiet_ _._

"And why should I?" Hanji retorted, not looking back.

As of the moment, she slightly didn't expect him to answer. But when he actually did, the reply was the least she had expected.

"Because you owe me after all that cleaning I did for that shitty mess you call bedroom." Was his response before his door slammed back shut.

~•°*°•~

Hanji inwardly cursed again. It was strangely developing into a habit these days.

She grudgingly stirred the cup of tea she was forced make, resisting the urge to hit herself. Guess the exhaustion really did a number on her that it actually made her forget what had happened before sleep decided to take her in.

_The_ _search_ _for_ _her_ _glasses_ _..._

_The_ _disheveled_ _room_ _..._

_The_ _panic_ _attack_ _..._

_The_ _echoing_ _voices_ _..._

_Then_ _him_ _._

It somehow made sense. Knowing the guy's cleaning instincts, he'd most probably clean up all that mess in a heartbeat.

Then, could it have been Levi who had put her in that position on the bed?

Unceremoniously, a heated blush rose up to her cheeks. She slightly refused to believe it, but given the circumstances, it _was_ direly possible.

_You owe me after all that cleaning I did for that shitty mess you call bedroom._

A small drop of scorching warmth suddenly touched her thumb, and when she looked down to the source, it startled her to find multiple drips of hot tea on the side of the cup and a few splashes and puddles gathering by the bottom of the ceramic, caused dreadfully by her unconscious yet wild stirring.

" _Damn_ _._ " She muttered, throwing the remains of the wasted tea to the sink before proceeding to make a new one.

~•°*°•~

"Still not over your sleeplessness, I see." Hanji gently placed the cup of tea on the Captain's desk beside a neat stack of papers. The man didn't even look up when she spoke.

Levi remained wildly scribbling down on a document, switching to another one after finishing the other, and not attending to his tea or even acknowledging the presence of Hanji.

When the scientist only stood there for a few moments without getting any kind of response from the working man, she awkwardly began to step backwards silently.

"I'll be on my way then." She suppressed a yawn from being released as she spoke. Right after stuffing herself with a satisfying meal, it was originally her plan to lock herself up in the lab after delivering the tea, but somehow her body had other plans, and now her feet were about to lead her back to her room when the noise of crumpling paper resounded in the air.

"Before that," His booming voice made her stop. "do you know who helped me up to my room the other night?"

At this, she stiffened. The question wasn't indicating that he remembered everything, but it still means that he didn't forget a few details.

She can't rest easy now.

A little hesitantly, Hanji looked back at the man, toughening her voice to prevent it from possible stammering. "No. I couldn't really recall as much as you do. All I remember is passing out on the table, that's all." She fluently lies, crossing her arms in an attempt to fake her interest. "Why do you ask?"

Levi gingerly sipped from his tea before responding, "I _fucking_ woke up naked this morning."

Unceremoniously, a coughing fit broke out of her lips. She covered her mouth with a balled up fist in an attempt to at least stop the coughs from coming, her eyes wide at the man's overflowing bluntness.

Levi sent her a weird look. "Are you dying there, or what?"

Between the barks from her throat, she managed to glare at the man. "Just . . . _give_ _me_ _a_ _second_." She released one forceful and final cough before clearing her throat, absently dusting off imaginary dirt from her uniform. "I'm good."

The Captain was about to prod further, not exactly satisfied with her assurance, but when the woman sent him a close-eyed beam, he rolled his eyes.

"Getting back on track, I need you to find this unknown person for me." He picked up his writing apparatus and began scribbling down on a new sheet again, throwing the crumpled piece into a nearly filled bin.

For a few seconds, Hanji blinked, her brain slowly registering the new demand. But when it hit her, her blood ran cold. " _What_ _?_ " Out of all people he could ask, it just had to be _her_?! "Why me?"

At this, Levi glared at her from behind his eyelashes. "Last night, I was too drunk to even know who that person was and what they did to me. So who do you think is at fault for making me drink in the first place?"

It's a relief that he has still yet to know the entire story, but Hanji couldn't relax just yet. The guy wasn't putting this subject down. If she had to guess, Levi was getting desperate of remembering, much to her impending doom.

Unconsciously, she asked, her growing fear getting the best of her. "And if you do find this person, what will you do next?"

Levi suddenly stopped writing; a bad sign. Words laced with venom immediately shot out of his mouth like bullets. "Once I find and confirm that the piece of shit had violated my rights, soldier or not, they wouldn't be living without damage any longer."

Hanji stiffened harder than ice. She understood the _colorful_ meaning behind _'_ _violated_ _my_ _rights_ ', and the man's statement only added another lock to the one secret she held inside. A shiver ran down her spine once she finally managed to fully understand the new situation she was now stuck in.

Levi wanted _her_ to find the _person_ whom he thought did something vile and unbecoming. Little does he know, the _one_ he had tasked to look for the _culprit_ _,_ was the _culprit_ herself.

So basically, Levi was asking Hanji to find her self.

Suddenly, she felt the urge to cower into a corner. Her head began to pound slightly again. This only added more reasons to keep her mouth shut as long as possible. She was already considering if she should give the man another dose of that _tranquilizer._ But then again, it would take extremely long to process another one, long enough to make the man possibly recollect his memories from that night. The amnesia wasn't permanent, after all.

And once he remembers, she'd be buried six feet under.

"Hanji."

The woman snapped out of her thoughts, her brown eyes immediately locking with Levi's narrowed steel gray ones. "Have you finally came back to Earth, yet?" His tone this time was laced with suspicion.

But instead of replying with a smart retort, she stammered. "U-uh, yeah! I'm back." She nervously grinned. When the man remained with a doubtful look, she immediately made a move to excuse herself. But her words spewed out of her mouth at rapid speed, giving her no time to process what she was saying. "Anyways, I should really get going. Gotta do some _training_." She began stepping back at a quick pace. Once her elbow hit the door frame, she hastily pulled the door open, sending Levi one final look. "Don't worry, I'll work on finding that 'unknown' person soon. Later!"

At that last statement, she took a step outside and slammed the door shut.

Levi weirdly gazed at the closed door before his eyes traveled to his window, seeing nothing but darkness.

_Training_ _in_ _the_ _middle_ _of_ _the_ _night_ _?_

~•°*°•~

Hanji leaned against the wall, panting as if she had ran ten times around the perimeter of Wall Rose. Once she had eased her little hyperventilation, she immediately considered jumping off a cliff.

Now _what_?!

With the new task at hand, she's only got two choices. It's either she follow Levi's demands and eventually get killed once he finds out about the truth, or be rebellious and not obey his orders then be kicked in the ass straight towards oblivion.

Either way, she's obviously not getting out of this unharmed.

She heaved a massive sigh, not bothering to be silent.

She's definitely _doomed._

~•°*°•~


	7. "Why Are You So Worried About Me, Four Eyes?"

The familiar warmth that radiated on Hanji's face was what eventually woke her up. This time, it was definitely morning, but she can guarantee that from just one glance outside her window--it wasn't early. Long after breakfast hours, perhaps.

She sat up with a morning yawn, stretching her still waking limbs. _Dang_ , it had been long since the last time she had slept like that. Even though she nearly hated to admit it, a proper eight hour sleep certainly felt good.

She slid her foot over the smooth floor, carefully standing up. Her left hand absently scratched her head, feeling her hair come even more loose from its tie. Giving it no mind, she slowly treaded out of her room after slipping on her jacket, closing her door with a silent _click_ _._

The hallway of the soldiers' quarters seemed nearly empty, aside from Cadet Arlert who was carrying out a small stack of books from his room. Another yawn escaped her lips as she lazily walked forward towards the bathroom, briefly stopping to greet the blonde lad.

On her way through the corridor, she passed the Corporal's door. Almost immediately, her head began to recollect their 'meeting' the other night, holding back a flinch at the words that were spat by the man's mouth. After the conversation she had with him last night, along with the new personal mission he's given her, she had decided that she'd avoid encountering the Captain as much as possible throughout the day. If she'd have to guess, Levi would only ask her about that 'unknown' person the minute he gets his first chance of a conversation with her, which Hanji didn't have the best answer to as of the moment.

But when her ears almost immediately picked up the sound of muffled yet rough coughing from the other side of the door, she stopped.

She warily rotated her head towards the door, staring at it in suspicion. Again, more stifled coughs resonated through the piece of wood that separated her from the room.

Now that's strange. _Is_ _he_ _sick_ _?_

Feeling her legs moving by itself, she soon found herself sticking her ear onto the door instead of knocking. Well, it wouldn't hurt to eavesdrop a bit, right?

It was silent for a few minutes before another set of coughs came echoing throughout the room, its sound coming out muffled through the door. Then there were a few shuffling noises here and there. Her ears could easily detect the clinking of a cup as a teaspoon stirred its contents. Hanji immediately figured that the man was once again drinking tea. When the clinking stopped, another cough was heard. But this time, it was only once. A clearing of a throat followed instantly after that.

The scientists pressed her ear more on the door, as if that would amplify the sounds to her ears. When suddenly...

"Hanji?"

God only knows how stiff she had become.

~•°*°•~

A blushing Armin entered the mess hall with a few books in hand. He dropped the stack on the table, instantly getting the attention of its occupants.

"Armin?"

The blonde raised his head and turned to Eren, who gazed at him with a concerned look. "You alright?" The green-eyed lad asked.

"You look like a tomato." Sasha noted, munching on a piece of stale bread.

"I-i do?" The blonde could feel the familiar heat burning his cheeks, forcing him to summon all of his willpower to make it stop.

Mikasa's hand abruptly reached up to touch his forehead, only retrieving it after confirming that the lad indeed wasn't sick. "Sit down." She lightly commanded.

Just then realizing that he was still upright, he sharply dropped on a seat beside the black haired woman, his fingers absently fidgeting.

"Did something happen, or what?" Connie inquired, putting down his glass of water.

When the image of Hanji reentered his head, his blush only intensified. His mind began hectically searching for the correct words to say, just so it wouldn't sound too embarrassing.

But, disregarding the wild stream of his thoughts, his mouth unconsciously opened to release a stammered statement.

"Guys, h-have you ever seen s-someone half n-naked bef-fore?"

The group only stared at him in confusion.

~•°*°•~

_"_ _Hanji_ _."_

Recognizing the voice in no time, she slowly pulled away from the door, automatically donning her trademark grin.

"Mike!" She cheerfully regards, once again wearing the play-innocent façade.

The blonde man only stared at her with evident suspicion, narrowing his eyes after giving the woman a swift once over. "What are you doing at _this_ door wearing only _that_?"

Confused, Hanji slowly trailed her eyes downwards, only then realizing that she had nothing but an oversized button up shirt to cover her, just enough to keep her underwear from being seen. Not so decent thoughts began crawling up Mike's imagination, and he hastily forced the thoughts out of his head.

"Well?" The blonde squad leader crossed his arms warily.

Heat instantaneously began creeping up her cheeks. Numerous thoughts began overflowing her brain as she tried to find the perfect alibi to easily reason her way out. Yet before she could even speak of a word, the clicking of a latch being unlocked and the creaking of a door being swung open cut her off. Straight off, she could nearly feel her own blood freeze from its running course.

_Crap_ _._

Long before she could at least comprehend it, Levi now stood there at the doorway, looking as annoyed as ever.

_Fucking_ _crap_ _._

No words escaped the scientist's ajar mouth as her chocolate brown eyes locked with his stormy grey ones. The man only stared back, strangely not firing a question or even an insulting comment. No words were exchanged as a moment of silence passed between the three of them, with Mike often switching glances from Hanji then to Levi. A couple more heartbeats passed before the short man finally decided to break their momentary peace, walking away with his signature noise of irritation.

The man's sudden movement caused Hanji to break out of her trance, and she briefly blinked as her eyes cannot seem to look away from Levi's leaving form. It was then when her gaze finally took notice of Levi's strange complexion, which evidently was a lot paler than it usually was. His usually broad shoulders were now slumped, and there was a slight drag with his thumping footsteps.

_He_ _definitely_ _doesn't_ _look_ _too_ _well_ _._ The scientist mentally hypothesized.

Her previous resolve momentarily disappearing, she attempted to call out to him and clarify her guess.

But the man had already disappeared from sight.

~•°*°•~

That next day, the usual training sessions resumed for the soldiers. The Squad Leaders had been required to supervise their own squads throughout the hours for the sole purpose of correcting possible mistakes and the application of new strategies. Hanji was just arriving at the training grounds, numerous scrolls containing different blueprints in hand, when she found Levi sitting on one of the benches, shivering.

She had disregarded it as the trickery of the light that time, continuing forward towards her own squad. But now that all of them had gathered inside the mess hall to rejuvenate their strengths with a meal, the woman finally concluded that the Captain's uncharacteristic trembling was indeed real.

Hanji stared at Levi with concern as he coughed into his sleeve, the sound coming out muffled. They were sitting at their usual table with their squads,--well, Hanji's and Mike's squads, to be exact--which was at the farthest corner of the room. And as the woman watched their Corporal try to cover up his coughing fit for the fourth time, the pieces finally came together.

"Levi, are you sick?" She asked.

"No." Was his sharp reply, sniffling right after.

Hanji picked up her fork, pointing it to him. "Your nose is redder than bloody Titan flesh. You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine." He scowled, absently rubbing his nose.

But the scientist wasn't buying it. From closer inspection, he was still pale, and the shadows under his eyes seemed even more darker than before. Even through the dim light of the mess hall, her focused gaze could still see--yet quite barely--the tiny shivers that shook his shoulders and down to his arms. All in all, even a mindless person could tell that he wasn't 'alright'.

Barely thinking it through, her hand reached across the table and laid its back onto his forehead. But as if her hand was coated in poison--which, in Levi's case; coated in bacteria--he automatically jumped away from her touch with a hiss. Instantaneously,--as if the sudden action caused something to trigger--another coughing fit released itself from his throat, and he hastily covered his mouth with the bend of his elbow.

"You're hot." Hanji glanced back at him, ignoring the faint blush on her cheeks when she remembered both of that word's meanings. "You're burning with a fever. You shouldn't have gone out on the field earlier. You should've stayed in and rested."

Levi only pulled his chair back towards the table, absently stabbing his food with the fork. Hanji folded her hands beneath her chin, her eyes concentrated on his slumped figure. "Feel any lingering pain or numbing aches?" She inquired. "I know you're not sleeping well."

Some of the people further down the table grew silent, gazing at them with doubting glances. The Captain cleared his throat, his hand reaching up to rub his throat. "You're giving people the wrong idea, Four Eyes." His eyes narrowed into a glare. "And for the last time; I am not sick."

_Yeah, right_. Hanji thought sarcastically. She crossed her arms in defiance. "Okay. Convince me that you really are fine."

"I'm alright." He insisted, unceremoniously sniffing right after. "Because I never get sick."

The scientist blinked at him. "Levi, that's not legitimately possible." She rolled her eyes at his childish excuse. "And if you really don't get sick, your immune system would surely be weaker than--"

But the Corporal had started coughing again before she could finish her statement. Only this time, it was more rougher than his most recent fit. The woman waited for him to recover, secretly pulling his plate of unfinished dinner out of his reach, before she resumed speaking.

"It's the flu." Hanji said. "You have the flu." When the man tried to get his meal back, she quickly picked up the plate. "I'm going to look around the kitchen and see if there's any soup you can have. While I'm at it, you should go back to your room and get some rest."

Levi only glared at her. "I said I'm not sick, Shitty Glasses."

"You're denying it." Was her response. "And I don't really feel like eating when you're coughing yourself to death."

For a fair length of time, the two found themselves stuck in a staring contest, with neither of them yielding. None of them cared if they needed to hold up for as long as it takes until somebody surrenders. But Hanji eventually claimed victory when a sudden sneeze made Levi double over. When he recovered, he looked back up at her with a narrowed gaze, finally relenting. "Fine. But you're going to owe me for this."

The woman only smiled in return.

~•°*°•~

Unfortunately, Hanji couldn't provide anything but tea to aid the Corporal's healing process. She had thought about cooking a plain bowl of soup for him, but didn't risk it in fear of burning down the kitchen.

Levi took the cup with trembling fingers, careful to not spill a single drop even with the way he was holding it by the brim. The calm yet pleased look he conveyed was enough to tell Hanji that her brewed beverage was passable to his standards, and she inwardly rejoiced at that.

The woman untied the small pouch that hang from her belt, bringing it to the desk where she had left the glass of water. Gingerly, she poured its brown contents into the clear liquid before stirring the mixture with a spoon. She turned back to Levi with the glass in hand, only to met by his hard cold stare. The man only raised his eyebrow when Hanji suddenly thrusts the drink in front of his face.

"I stopped by the medical wing on the way here." She said. "The physician said that if you take this medication and refrain yourself from overexertion, you'll be fine in a few days."

The raven only gave the glass of murky liquid a glare of disgust before shoving it away from his face with his hand. "I don't need it."

But Hanji didn't budge. "Take it." She said.

"No."

"Levi."

"I said no."

Unceremoniously, Hanji leaned forward. "If you don't take this medicine, I will dump all of my trash and lab waste in your office _and_ your bedroom for the entire year."

Levi shot her a malicious death glare. "No you won't."

The woman raised her eyebrows challengingly. "Try me."

The Corporal heaved an exasperated sigh. He gave Hanji a nasty look before snatching the glass from her, pouring the bitter contents into his mouth without much of a second thought. The scientist could feel a triumphant grin etching itself on her lips when Levi returned the now empty glass back to her, still donning that ever so unwavering stoic face.

"Happy?" He deadpanned.

The brown eyed woman shrugged. "It ain't time to rejoice yet. Not until you fully heal, of course." She reached forward to feel his forehead again, and strangely this time, Levi didn't push her away. He was less warmer than before; a good sign.

"Why are you so worried about me, Four Eyes?" Levi suddenly asked, catching the woman off guard.

"Well," Hanji bit her lip, carefully choosing her words. "If you've never really got sick before, then you wouldn't know how to take care of yourself if you were." She said. "And things would surely get worse if you don't do things right."

Levi didn't respond. He only laid back down on his bed, and Hanji immediately cringed when nostalgia struck.

Even after all the attempts of avoidance she did from him, here she is.

Still with him.

Back in this room.

Where everything happened on that one fateful night.

The woman shook the thoughts out of her head, pulling out a chair and grabbing a random book on his shelf as she sat. She was oblivious to the confused glare Levi was giving her, and was only then aware of it when the man spoke.

"You should leave." He said, and Hanji didn't miss the small slur with his tone from the growing drowsiness.

"No can do, short stack." She turned back to her book. "I'm not leaving you until you feel better."

"You'll get sick too, smartass." The man grumbled.

"Don't worry. I've got one tough immune system, so I won't be affected easily by your virus. By the way, did you know that a human's immune system can either be..."

Her voice trailed off when she found Levi now deep in his slumber, his chest gingerly rising and descending with every breath he's taking. The man finally looked peaceful, and Hanji would surrender everything just to keep him in that peace for the rest of eternity. But sadly, that wouldn't be possible unless freedom is attained, so she might have to wait.

"...never mind." She lightly smiled, standing up from her seat. She once again reached forward to touch his forehead, and was pleased to find it no longer burning. Gently, she moved some stray raven strands from his sleeping face, careful not to wake him up.

"Get well soon, Levi." She softly whispered.

~•°*°•~


	8. Fly And Fall

_A_ _month_ _later_ _..._

Has riding ever been this nauseating?

Hanji blinked as the wind harshly blew past by the minute their horses began running out of the opened gate. The usual scenery welcomed them as they ran out, immediately filing out towards the formation. The fresh, cool breeze eventually calmed down the brunette's nerves, effectively pushing her queasiness to the back of her mind. A red flare suddenly went up to the sky a few moments later, and Hanji's hand immediately took hold of the hilt of her blade, seeing as the sudden flare was somewhat close to their position.

~•°*°•~

"You have gotta be kidding me."

The scientist looked up...or looked _down_ , rather, as footsteps suddenly neared them from behind a nearby trunk. She immediately brightened up when she recognized who it was.

"Levi!"

The Captain, on the contrary, was not very pleased when he found Humanity's Smartest hanging suspended in the air with her left leg caught in a tangle of wires that were wrapped around a sturdy branch. His eyebrows furrowed, his glare not leaving Hanji's figure for a second.

"I don't even want to ask how you got to be like this." He grumbled, taking a step away from the tree the brunette was stuck to.

But, regardless of his statement, Hanji babbled on.

"Y'know? I'm not even certain myself. I mean, one second I was soaring through the air like a specially aberrant titan, and next I find myself already entangled here. It's not like I don't like it here because honestly, the view's actually pretty great. It's rare to see the world from a reversed perspective. But even so, I'm not really sure how it happened. Maybe I aimed at the wro—wha, _hey_ _!_ "

Levi paused on his way out, turning to face her with a raised eyebrow.

"Aren't you going to help me down, shorty?"

Irked by the nickname, he shot back. "You're too high, Four Eyes. I can't reach it."

Hanji chortled in a not so womanly way—but seriously, when has _the_ Hanji Zoe ever even done something in a more 'feminine' way? " _HA_ _!_ You finally admitted it, shortstack! But still, that's besides the— _hey_ _wait_!" She glared at the retreating back of the Captain, wishing she had something in her grasp to throw at his head.

Levi looked back at her flatly. "What?"

She frowned. "Never mind."

The man raised a thin eyebrow. Now that was weird. Normally she would keep on persuading him for his help.

Even Hanji herself was confused. _Mood_ _swings_ _?_ The brunette paused, instantly shaking off the thought. _Pfft_ _,_ _hilarious_ _._

She began pulling herself up, struggling to be in level with her hanging leg. If she wasn't getting any help then so be it. Stretching her arm to reach the branch, she eventually pulled herself over it, sighing in content once she settled on top of it. Her breath just slightly hitched when the branch gave a small sound in complaint. Guess it wasn't sturdy enough to hold up this much weight after all.

She sadly glanced at her gear, already knowing that it cannot be used anymore. It seems that she'd have to wait for help to come then, praying that no titan would be able to smell her out. She fished out a small dagger she hid behind her belt, sticking it to the wire before cutting it little by little, soon successfully freeing her leg from the tangles.

"So what's your plan, Four Eyes?"

Hanji felt herself jump, definitely not expecting for Levi to still be there.

"Levi? I thought you left?"

The man rolled his cobalt eyes. "I was standing here all along, moron."

Hanji snorted. "I think the moron here is the one who thought that staying on plain ground is a good idea, especially in the middle of titan territory."

Levi glared up at her. "Then I think that's my cue to leave."

"Psh, leave if you want, nobody's hol—" it took her a moment to remember her situation. "I mean, NONONONO, stay! Ididn'tmeananythingIsaidandIadmittedlyamineedofhelprightnowand—"

And that's when she heard it.

_Thump_ _._

_Thump_ _._

_Thump_ _._

She snapped her head up, aiming to look for the source, which happened to be a big mistake. As if the sudden action caused it to trigger, an enormous headache began climbing its way to her head, strangely giving her the feeling as if her brain was being squeezed to death. She instantly held her head in her hands, silently whimpering when nausea hit her at full force.

_Thump_ _._

_Thump_ _._

_Thump_ _._

It was louder this time.

"L-Levi...they're coming..." She muttered.

"Four Eyes?"

"They're coming..."

"I can't hear you, Shitty Glasses."

_THE_ _TITANS_ _ARE_ _COMING_ _AND_ _YOU'RE_ _STANDING_ _IDLY_ _OUT_ _IN_ _THE_ _OPEN_ _!_ _HOW_ _COME_ _YOU_ _CAN'T_ _HEAR_ _THEM_ _?!_ —is what she had wanted to say. If only the headache allowed her that luxury.

"It...h-hurts..." She gripped at her head, terribly feeling like ripping her hair out.

_Thump_ _._

_Thump_ _._

_Thump_ _._

And then she paused.

No, those sounds weren't coming from Titan footsteps.

They came from her heart.

_Thump_ _._

_Thump_ _._

_Thump_ _._

Bile suddenly rose to her throat, and she swerved to the side automatically, her hand flying up to her mouth to prevent her from puking her lunch out. But the action also caused her to lean in an angle that made her lose her balance, effectively sliding her form off the branch. On reflex, she managed to reach her arm out to grasp the branch for dear life. But black spots were already dancing wildly in her vision, and the pounding in her head wasn't exactly helping either.

_"_ _Hanji_ _!"_

It didn't take long for her to realize that she had lost her hold on the tree, and she was letting gravity pull her to the hard and unforgiving earth. She could already imagine her impending trip to the medics because of broken ribs and a twisted shoulder, and maybe the worst concussion ever—as if the headache wasn't enough.

But before her pessimism could expand, she was brought out of her thoughts when she realized that she has landed. And strangely, the ground wasn't cold—it was rather warm, and still quite hard. She weirdly felt nothing broken, or even a twisted shoulder. Just the headache that doesn't seem to leave her be.

And then she heard a grunt.

"Would it hurt for you to lose some weight, Shitty Glasses?"

Flinching, she instantly rolled off Levi the minute she recognized him. Despite the pain in her head and the bile in her throat, a comeback automatically began to roll off her tongue.

"Oh I'm sorry if you're small arms couldn't handle me, shorty." She grumbled back, desperately trying to ignore the ache.

"You were just more heavier than I expected, Four Eyes."

"Are you saying I'm fa—"

Her nausea hit her at full force now, and she immediately had her head between her knees, a palm pressed tightly to seal her lips.

"Now, you're sick." Hanji would've rolled her eyes at him if the current situation was different. "You shouldn't have went along with this mission if you were feeling under the weather, idiot."

_How_ _in Wall_ _Sina_ _should_ _I_ _know_ _?_ _I_ _was_ _feeling_ _fine_ _before_ _we_ _travelled_ _out_ _._ — is what she wanted to reply. If only she hadn't felt the bile forcing its way to her mouth, then she would've definitely delivered that message.

No longer able to keep it down, she pulled herself to the side, away from Levi, before she finally let herself release it. And there goes her lunch. Just that it didn't look appetizing anymore, nor did it even look like actual food.

She felt something rubbing her back comfortingly, and her cheeks would've definitely turned red under normal circumstances. She soon felt the last bit of her vomit being forced out, but something's telling her that this won't be the last time. She sat back, and if she glanced at Levi now, she would've caught the briefest flash of concern in his cobalt eyes. She breathed out steadily, trying to calm her nerves.

"You done?" Levi asked.

Hanji could only nod, not really feeling like speaking yet. It was rare, as in _very_ _rare_ for her to get sick. It would be impossible for her to catch Levi's cold too. Her immune system was tough — or so she believed.

The man sighed, rising to his feet before offering her a hand. "Come on, we got to meet up with the others."

Hanji gratefully accepted his hand, grunting as she pulled herself up with his aid. But she didn't stay on her feet for too long before an abrupt darkness consumed her, weariness unceremoniously penetrating her limbs. Her knees immediately gave up on her the minute she managed to stand. Her lids closed, and she would've met with the ground this time if it weren't for Levi catching her, again. She instantly fell unconscious in his arms, failing to hear when Levi gave a noise of complaint at the sudden weight.

"Idiot."

~•°*°•~


	9. A Life

Hanji woke up to a plain white ceiling that seemed oddly familiar to her. The scent of disinfectants instantly invaded her nostrils, and it didn't take a genius to figure out where she was. She sat up slowly, only then realizing that the curtains were drawn, thus separating her bed from the rest of the room.

She paused.

The infirmary. This is the Headquarters' Medical Wing. _Why_ _was_ _she_ _here_ _?_ What about the mission?

However, the moment she recollected her thoughts of what had happened before her state of unconsciousness, nausea decided to pay her a visit once again. Her hand instantly went to her mouth, already growing accustomed to it. She opted to make a run for the bathroom, but decided against it when she spotted a bucket placed just right beside her bed. She picked it up before diving in, letting the second round of puke come out. She didn't even bother with being silent.

The physician came in when she was slowly calming down, letting the last bits of whatever meal it was out of her system. Hanji pulled away from the bucket and wiped at her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt, not giving the bucket a second glance right after putting it away. She looked at the doctor, her eyes already asking the questions before she could even vocalize them.

"Good evening, Miss Hanji." The grey-haired healer, whom she now recognized as Dr. Davis, greeted with a slightly wrinkled smile. "How are you feeling? Do you need some water?"

Hanji politely shook her head at the offer, although she hadn't realized the time until he addressed it as 'evening'.

"How long was I out, Doc?" She asked.

"Seven hours. Do not fret, the mission had been successful. The troops returned six hours ago with not that much casualties, just as Commander Erwin has calculated."

"Well, that's a relief." She breathed out.

"Yes, it is. However, if you should be worried about anything now, it should be yourself." He paused, thinking over his words. "Most especially now that you are harbouring a life."

Hanji stiffened. "...what do you mean?"

"Miss Hanji," Davis began. "You are pregnant."

Cold.

Her blood, it ran cold.

_....Pregnant?!_

"What?"

"You are with child, Hanji." He momentarily looked at the records he's carrying. "And I can hypothesize that it is already nearing its tenth week. However, I'd need to know when exactly you have conceived for a more accurate data."

_Pregnant_ _...._

_Bearing_ _a_ _child_ _..._

_A_ _life_ _...._

_Ten_ _weeks_ _...._

_A_ _child_ _...._

_Mine_ _..._

_Levi_ _...._

She jolted at the thought of him, her blood practically freezing to ice.

_Levi..._

Levi's child...

Oh no.

"May I know who the lucky man is, Miss Hanji?" She heard Davis say.

Lucky?

Oh, she'd be damned.

Davis, sensing her uneasiness and her strange silence, instantly began to piece together the current situation. Understanding dawned on his face, and he proceeded with the rest of the data, disregarding the question himself.

"Now, because of this, you need to be extra careful now, Miss Hanji. Drink a lot of water to stay hydrated. Also expect your appetite to double since you are technically eating for two now, which is you and your baby. Prevent stressing yourself as much as possible, too. You are restricted from too much physical training, as it might endanger the child. I'll be giving you a few supplements to drink after every meal, and herbal tea to help with your sickness. I'll be allowing you to leave by tomorrow morning. For now, you shall rest here." The physician briefly glanced at the door. "Right after seeing this person who has been waiting for you to wake up."

Hanji glanced up at that, widened brown eyes staring at the man standing on the infirmary's doorway.

"Erwin."

The blonde Commander stepped in, closing the door behind him. "Hanji."

"I shall take my leave, then." Davis bid the two of them goodbye before making his exit, immediately attending to other patients the minute he was out.

It was only Hanji and Erwin now.

The man was the first to speak. "How are you feeling?"

Hanji looked down at her hands, which were interlocked on her lap. "Better than before, I guess."

Erwin allowed a few moments of silence to loom between them before he finally spilled out his main purpose.

"Dr. Davis has told me everything." He began, occupying the chair provided beside the foot of Hanji's bed.

"I know."

Erwin didn't miss her limited responses.

"And I figure that you already know what I am meaning to say."

It took her a few seconds this time. "I do."

Erwin sighed. "So, when is it that you'll tell him?"

"I didn't say I would."

The blonde paused. "What?"

"I'm not telling him." Hanji clarified. "He doesn't need to know."

"Hanji, he has every right to know!" He said. "He is the _father_ of that child you're carrying, after all."

"He doesn't have to." She retorted. "I am able to raise this child by my own."

"But still, you cannot possibly keep it from him forever. Levi _will_ know eventually, and you cannot hide this from him anymore once he does."

"I can."

Erwin was slightly taken aback by this. "What?"

Hanji raised her head, her brown eyes looking straight at his blue ones.

Her next words were ones Erwin never expected to be coming out of her mouth.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


"Commander Erwin, I am _resigning_ from the Survey Corps."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


~

**_Meanwhile_ ** **_..._ **

He began walking away from the infirmary door, already having heard enough from the conversation of the two.

_A_ _father_ _,_ _huh_ _..._

~•°*°•~


	10. Titans in the Walls

Hanji slammed her door shut, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Running out of the infirmary like that probably wasn't the best idea considering that the physician hasn't allowed her to be released yet. But she didn't care. So long as her legs were able to bring her here, despite the nagging nausea at the back of her head, it was fine.

_"_ _I_ _refuse_ _."_

_"_ _What_ _?_ _Why_ _?"_

_"_ _You_ _are_ _obviously_ _not_ _in_ _the_ _right_ _state_ _of_ _mind_ _right_ _now_ _,_ _Hanji_ _._ _Talk_ _to_ _me_ _again_ _when_ _you've_ _already_ _rested_ _further_ _."_

_"_ _But_ _Erwi_ _—_ _"_

_"_ _I_ _have_ _already_ _said_ _my_ _decision_ _,_ _Zoë_ _,_ _and_ _it_ _is_ _final_ _."_

And she dashed out after that, not bothering to listen to the calls of her name.

She heaved a huge sigh, her chest suddenly feeling immensely heavy. Tears dripped down from her chin and onto the floor, not bothering to wipe them off. She'll admit, that abrupt attempt of resignation was uncalled for and was something she had not thought through. She blames half of it on the influence her emotions currently has on her. She was angry, frustrated, _tired,_ scared even. Erwin was right, as of the moment she was not in the right state of mind, which appears to be very uncharacteristic of her but can you really blame her?

She wanted to scream, she wanted to rip her hair out. God, she wanted to trash everything in sight, yet for some reason, she could not find the strength to do so. Hanji was drained, physically _and_ emotionally. Heck she wasn't even sure if she could stay upright if she were to stand right now. 

_"You are with child, Hanji."_

Heavy huffs of breath escaped her mouth. _With child?_ No, she can't afford to be pregnant now. Not at this kind of time. Not at _this_ kind of world _._

Yet unconsciously, her hand reached down to her currently flat stomach, sensing, _feeling_ for the life that was claimed to be slumbering just inside her womb. 

She inwardly chuckled, the slightest weight being lifted off her chest as she fully registered her situation. If circumstances were different, she'd definitely be one heck of a mother. She'd teach her child all there is to know about the world, tell them stories, introduce them to Science, feed their wonder, hey maybe she could build them a miniaturized version of the 3DMG gear, and--

_No._ She halted, backtracking her thoughts to the very foremost. _If circumstances were different._

_If._

Such a small word holding such a heavy meaning.

Her hand fell from her belly, mentally forcing her head to be rid of all those foolish thinking. She could _not_ bring a child to the open world where he or she would have to live like them; like _cattle._ Trapped and hiding, fighting for survival, paranoid of the fact that their enemies outside the walls could attack once again any minute. She could not let a child, most especially _her own,_ be brought into a world like this. She wasn't that cruel. And surely his or her father would feel the same.

The _father_...

Her mind blanked, which was absolutely a rare occurrence.

_Levi..._

How would he take it if he were to know?

_If._

There's that word again. 

_"Hanji, he has every right to know."_

Hanji bit her lip. She hadn't even thought about what she would do about _that_ incident, and now she already has another problem piled on top of hit. As if this month couldn't get any worse.

"Squad Leader Hanji?"

The brunette immediately perked up at the knock on her door. "Yeah?" She replied, willing her voice to not waver.

"Moblit calls for you to come to Stohess District ma'am. He said that there was something you needed to see and it's terribly urgent."

_Stohess District?_ That's where they apprehended the Female Titan.

"Alright, I'll be out in five minutes."

Once she heard the footsteps disappearing farther along the hallway, she heaved a huge sigh, taking in calming breaths and slowly regaining her composure. She'd have to deal with this later. There were more important matters at hand.

She raised with slight difficulty, using the door she was leaning on for support as she stood on her still slightly unsteady legs. When she deemed that she can already hold herself up, she trudged forward to her desk, picking up her journal and a few other necessities. If this matter was of utmost urgency that it needed _her_ in person, she might want to take down notes once she found what this was all about. Right when she had pocketed everything, she looked up to find her reflection in her desk mirror, and the image reflected was not a pleasant sight. Her eyes, although no longer holding tears, were still very much puffy and red, with dried tear tracks running along her cheeks. She hastily reached up to wipe them off, fixing her side fringe to fall just along her temples in an attempt to slightly hide her eyes.

She huffed, squaring her shoulders as she walkout out of her room.

Let all be damned. 

~•°*°•~

"Eren?"

The boy aforementioned raised his head, effectively being brought out of his trance.

"Everything alright?" Christa asked. "You seemed dazed."

The Titan Shifter took a moment before shaking his head. "No, uh, it's nothing, Christa. I was just thinking about the new book Armin introduced to me." He swiftly lied.

"Oh, okay." The blonde girl didn't seem to believe him at all, but she didn't push. "Jean was looking for you at the training grounds by the way, something about a rematch."

"Mm'kay I'll be there." He responded halfheartedly. "Thank you."

When Christa was gone, he picked up his jacket and stood, his mind unconsciously being retracted to his previous thoughts.

_Hanji b_ _un-taichō...is with chi--_

"Levi-heichō!" 

He looked up when a random soldier called for the said Captain, who happened to be passing by.

Eren didn't bother to hear their conversation, immediately setting his course and heading for the training grounds. 

But his head simply could not stop thinking about what he had overheard back at the infirmary.

~•°*°•~

There's a Titan inside the Walls.

Now the urge to rip off every brown strand of her hair was becoming more stronger. 

She stared at the small piece of crystal she got from the Female Titan. It was a hardened piece of its skin, which miraculously, did _not_ evaporate, even after Annie Leonhart had turned back to her human form. 

The scientist turned back to her microscope, comparing it to a small fragment of the Wall, only then coming out with the same results; the two subjects were very close to identical. Which then makes her come to the conclusion that the Walls are most probably made up of hardened Titan skin. 

_Unbelievable._

"What are you doing, Squad Leader?" Came the frantic call of Moblit behind her.

When there was no reply, her subordinate evidently became more panicked. "In 5 minutes, we're leaving, Hanji-san! Please hurry." He said before running out.

She switched the subjects for the umpteenth time, now looking in at the piece of Titan skin.

Still the same.

Oh dear Sina, _the Walls are made of Titans._

"Oi."

Her blood instantly ran cold at that voice. For two solid seconds, her brain once again blanked out as she turned to the source, widened brown eyes settling on the form of none other then Captain Levi himself, who was leaning on the door frame as he gazed in boredom at her.

"Start moving, Four Eyes, or you'll be left behind." 

She released the microscope from her white knuckled grip, settling her palm on the table instead as she forced her insides to calm down. 

"Ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She lightly laughed, praying it didn't sound nervous. "There was just something I needed to confirm." Not allowing the awkwardness of silence to seep in, her brilliant brain immediately came up with another reply. "What about Pastor Nick?"

"He's been ready for a while now, so get moving." Levi grumbled.

Hanji said nothing else, pocketing back the hardened fragment and following Levi out.

She instantly hated her head once her thoughts automatically backtracked to her own current dilemma at the sight of the Lance Corporal in front of her. For a moment there, it did take her mind off the fact that she was bearing something so fragile and in the eyes of the medically professional people she was in _no_ shape to be engaging on whatever mission they were currently embarking. Then Levi himself just had to barge back in to the picture and then her little form of a distraction was shattered. Now as it began to sink in, she was facing the _father_ of that said fragile thing she was bringing with her everywhere, and that honestly didn't make her feel any better considering that he was on the very top of the list of people he wanted to avoid as of the moment. 

And second to that list was Erwin, whom she guesses would definitely disagree of her participation to this mission. Anyone with a sane mind would probably take his side too, because having a pregnant woman charge into outside territory is a huge no no.

It also seems to appear that _that_ very same blonde Commander was waiting for them outside.

Just her luck. 

"Levi, where have you be--" Erwin paused at the sight of her. He was right, she would definitely come, but part of him had once hoped that she'd rethink her choices and stay. He was obviously wrong on that part.

"Hanji, you're n--" He attempted to tell her to step back for now, but evidently she wasn't having any of it.

"I'm _going_ , Erwin." Was all she said. But her eyes elaborated for her. One look at those fiery brown irises and he knew. She was asking him, no, _daring_ him to say something, to try to stop her, and by doing so he most probably wouldn't like the outcome. Erwin sighed. He got the message silent and clear.

He relented and nodded, yet his eyes sent another message too. _Just this once._

Hanji nodded back before climbing up the cart, taking her seat beside Pastor Nick. 

_Just this once? Obviously not happening._

~•°*°•~


	11. Let All Be Damned

_Reiner Braun._

_Bertolt Hoover._

These were the two who have claimed to have come from the same area as Annie Leonhart when they signed up at the Training Corps. From the files Braus has delivered to her, these two's backstories were quite spotty, with a few details that didn't seem to add up. If Hanji looked more closely, it almost seemed to her like this biography was made up. 

The scientist placed down the papers, running a hand through her hair as she nursed another growing headache. Thankfully, it wasn't as nauseating as before that she'd be puking out whatever food she has eaten. But still it pounded through her head like a relentless drum. Blame it on the the problem after problem she's facing and revelation after revelation. Any more of this and she might just explode.

But she also needs to discuss this over with the others as soon as goddamn possible. 

With a huff, she rose from her seat. Maybe she could ask the others for some tea or maybe at least some warm water if possible. 

"You don't look so good, Shitty Glasses." 

Hanji nearly leaped out of her skin. "Dear Sina, _Levi!"_

Said man raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, someone's jumpy."

She heaved a huge breath. "Do I seriously need to put a bell around your neck just so you could stop sneaking up on me like that?"

"I didn't 'sneak up' on you, moron. You're just so blind to not see me here." He deadpanned.

"Or you're just too tiny to actually be seen, shorty." The brunette shot back.

Levi rolled his eyes. "Anyways, the brats are getting anxious. Braus said that the file was about Leonhart?"

Hanji automatically went back into business. "Yes yes, I'll speak to them now. I'll need to gather everyone at the meeting hall."

She picked back up the papers along with her journal before walking out of the room, expecting the Captain to follow behind her. However, when she saw at the corner of her eye that he was still standing on the same spot she left him, she halted. 

"You coming, shorty?" She asked.

Levi was silent. He had his eyes still trained inside the room that she have left open. She immediately figured that he was deep in thought. 

"Levi?" She called again after a few more seconds of silence.

And he finally spoke. But it definitely wasn't the reply she was expecting.

"If you think I hadn't noticed that little secret conversation you had with Erwin before, you're wrong."

She felt her heart dropping to her feet at that. Hanji silently gulped, fearing for the worst. "What conversation?" She asked, praying that her voice did not waver.

Had he heard them talking back at the infirmary? If that was the case, then he kno--

"The one before we left headquarters." He finally transferred his scrutinizing gaze at her.

_Oh._

Hanji didn't know if she should sigh with relief or be more worried. But one look at the expression on Levi's face and she knew; she should be worried. 

"Because it seemed to me as if he didn't want you to come." He crossed his arms. "I wonder why."

_It's none of your business._ Hanji had so wanted to reply. But she quickly recollected her composure before huffing in a joking manner. "Oh you know him, ever since he found out about the dizzy spell I had at the most previous mission, he insisted I stay and rest. But no can do, mister. I still have a Pastor to crack and a group of trespassing giants to hunt so here I am." 

The man looked like he wasn't buying it. He shifted his weight to the other foot, his scrutinizing gaze solely focused on her and because of it she suddenly had the urge to shrink. "Now that you mentioned it, you never actually told me about what really happened to you back there. I had to drag your heavy ass all the way to the infirmary before I was pulled away by the brats regarding another matter."

Her mind instantly backtracked to what happened there and to her confrontation with Erwin. It instantly caused a cold chill to run down her spine as she remembered the physician's revelation about her condition.

_"Miss Hanji, you are pregnant."_

And yes, she was definitely _not_ telling Levi that.

"Nah it's nothing. It was just a dizzy spell, probably because of my lack of sleep and nothing else. It's nothing I can't handle so don't get your panties in a twist for me, old man." She reassured him, hoping that her smile didn't look forced. 

Levi was quiet, as if he was reluctant to believe. His gaze had remained on Hanji for a shorter while before releasing another noise of annoyance. "Just don't black out on me again. It's not easy to haul your heavy ass back to camp."

She lightly chuckled. "Yeah, well, thank you for that by the way. And don't worry. I won't black out again, not when I know that my savior is too short to actually carry me."

"Tch." He glared at her in return, before walking past her and heading to the meeting hall.

She can't help but laugh at his grumpiness, effectively forgetting the weight on her chest as of the moment. 

'Cause she now knew that she's only falling for him more and more.

Let all be damned indeed.

~

"The right wing was where the Female Titan attacked first! So it could be possible that Reiner and Bertolt had passed the information to Annie."

All heads automatically turned to the petite blonde in the room. "What do you mean? Why'd they be telling Annie that?" Sasha raised the question.

Armin hesitated, and before he could speak another word, Hanji interjected. "That alone isn't enough to prove anything." The woman leaned on her flattened palms on the table. "So tell me, how did these three interact during your training days?"

"Bertolt and Reiner were really close, probably because they came from the same place. But I did not see them talking to Annie that much." Armin relied.

"I agree." Eren piped up. "But, well, Annie didn't really talk that much in the first place either."

"She'd always eat alone all the time, too." Sasha thought aloud. 

"...I don't remember that much." Mikasa hesitantly admitted.

"But still, as their fellow trainee, to me Reiner's like the group's big brother, aside from Bertolt of course who doesn't speak much either." The Titan Shifter added. "I know he's not devious enough to betray us like that."

Hanji heaved another sigh. This was making the pounding in her head worse. And admittedly, worse to the point that she could already feel the nausea at the back of her head. She clenched her flattened palms into a fist, feeling a small bead of sweat rolling down her temple.

A small gasp took back her attention to the group.

"I remember," Armin looked up at Eren. "Reiner had escaped when the Female Titan had him in her crushing grip amidst their fight back then. But instead of pursuing him, Annie suddenly changed course and ran in the direction of Eren, as if she had fully neglected us."

That got her thinking. "Did you say anything about Eren's location?"

The blonde nodded. "I did mention that he might be at the center flank when he asked me. But I was sure that Annie was too far to hear."

"And did he seem greatly interested about Eren's location?" 

Armin paused, as if trying to remember what happened back then. Then his blue eyes suddenly widened in realization. "...yes he was." Horror dawned on his face. "And also . . . when Reiner escaped, the Female Titan was silently staring at her palm, the one she used when she had grasped him."

"So you're implying that he might have written a message on her palm using his blades?" Levi spoke up for the first time since the beginning of the meeting. 

The teen nodded. 

Everyone silenced at that as tnhey slowly tried to register the weight of this situation. If any of these were really true...

Then that means that they may or may not have had two other Titan Shifters right under their noses _all this time._

Hanji bit her lip, trying and yet failing to ignore the pain in her head. This is _absolutely_ not the right time for this. She can't afford to get sick in the middle of a mission. But when she felt the dreadfully familiar weight of bile right under her throat, she knew she had to get out there. 

Quickly thinking of a way to finalize everything and end the meeting, she cleared her throat. "Everyone listen up." She summoned all her might to hold down the bile for as long as she could, praying and hoping she wouldn't be puking her most recent meal out in the middle of her speech. "If we ever come to find Reiner and Bertolt, do not act suspiciously, as if you did not know a single thing about what has been discussed here. Do avoid mentioning Annie Leonhart as well. If these two are indeed Leonhart's accomplices, do not act until we lead them deep under the ground in order to confine them. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Hanji Bun-taichō!"

The brunette gave a single nod before straightening up. "Meeting adjourned. We leave for the others' location in ten minutes."

~

As soon as she was locked up in the confines of the bathroom and away from nearby ears, she switched the water on and let it flow loudly before saying goodbye to what food was left inside her stomach as it was vomited into the toilet. And there goes her appetite to ingest anything more that's edible. This was what she had been fearing when she decided to join this little expedition. She once had hoped that her body would be considerate of their current situation and act up on her body's change at a much later time--preferably at a time when this is all over. Guess her body wasn't favoring her this time at all. 

When she had nothing more to let out, she tiredly slumped back to the wall behind her, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Well, at least her nausea had eased a bit. They still had one rescue mission to do, and she needed her strength to keep up with the others. She wasn't letting this little sickness hold her back. 

The minute her traitorous mind slowly began to retrace her thoughts back to the main reason as to why she's experiencing all these symptoms, she instantly shook her head. Hanji did not need to be reminded of _that_ now either. There were more important matters at hand. 

With great difficulty, she stood, using the nearby sink as a support to get her on her feet. She splashed some water on her face, refusing to look at her reflection at the mirror before switching the loud faucet off. Slowly regaining her composure, she walked out of the restroom as if nothing happened. 

But that did not mean that it made her feel better, not even for the slightest bit.

~


	12. No Hole In The Wall

The 104th is safe. Although Ymir is heavily injured, the rescue mission was a success. And yet, Hanji still couldn't help but absently think that if they could've gotten here faster, the others would still be with them here as well. 

The scientist immediately admonished the thought. What happened already happened. And she would make sure that their sacrifices were not spent in vain. There would be a right time for mourning, and that time isn't now. 

At the corner of her eye she could see Eren giving Reiner a hand to lift him up. Then her eyes trailed back to Ymir, with lines along her face that looked strangely identical to the ones Eren would have right after a transformation. She huffed once again. It's bad enough to know that there was a possibility of two other Titan Shifters being among them. Now knowing that there were actually _three_ only seemed to make it worse. Were they really affiliated with Annie? If so, then why hadn't Ymir acted up when the other three did? 

This honestly did not make her feel any better either. The ride on the way here along with the rush of adrenaline from their most recent fight had momentarily eased her discomfort. But now that she was on stable ground, she wasn't exactly ready to welcome back another wave of sickness at this moment. 

It was a good thing that Levi was ordered by Erwin to stay back because of his injury. Heaven knows how she would dread having him here when she obviously wasn't in a perfectly healthy condition. She wouldn't want him to waste his time just to worry his ass off about her again, especially after their previous expedition where she had been puking her guts out right in front of him and him dragging her annoying arse back to camp.

She paused. Where had all these insecurities come from? A second passed and she huffed. _Damn hormones._

Thinking that he should be the least of her worries at the moment, she turned to Nifa and the rest of her squad, giving them orders to take Ymir back to Trost because she would need immediate medical attention. 

It was a only a few minutes later when they caught sight of Hannes and his squad, bringing them the news of what they had discovered.

There was no hole in the wall. 

"Did you actually even look?" Eren protested. "Are you sure you're not drunk?"

"I did not drink!" Hannes shot back, scandalized. "We looked for it all night, but there really was nothing."

Hanji put a finger on her chin in thought. Is this also Reiner and Bertolt's doing, then? Well, they cannot be sure yet. If things play out fine, the results would fall at their hands a few moments from now. "If there really was no hole then so be it." She turned back to the others, giving her orders. "We shall retreat back to Trost District for now." 

"Yes, Bun-taichō!"

It took a few seconds before she felt it, her eyebrows instantly furrowing. She didn't know if it was just her, but she could practically feel the air getting heavier with tension. She eyed Reiner and Bertolt for half a second before turning back, rambling on with Moblit to at least ease the tense silence. 

If their theories were right, then it is possible that they now have the Armored and Colossal Titan standing with them. 

An idea popped into her head. What if there was a Titan who dug _underneath_ the Wall? That would make the hole even more harder to find. But before she could voice out her idea, her world unceremoniously started to spin, as if someone was stirring her brain into a pile of goo. She halted in her tracks, hand instantly reaching out to hold Moblit's wrist in order to keep her from falling. 

"Hanji-san?" Her subordinate's voice was laced with concern. "Are you alright?"

She held back her groan as her world slowly turned back to focus, yet it still didn't ease the returning pain in her head. "Yes, yes, I'm alright. Just got a little dizzy, don't worry." She released Moblit's wrist from her grip once she was sure that she can stay upright without tumbling like a domino piece, before heaving another sigh. She was indeed getting tired of all these symptoms. She honestly did _not_ need a daily reminder of her current predicament. 

"Are you sure, Hanj--" Moblit was about to prod further, clearly noticing her slightly pale complexion, before being cut off by the sudden loud noise of a flag pole breaking off and falling down the wall. 

That did nothing to slice the looming heaviness in the air. If anything, it amplified it and made everyone even more rigid. Frozen in their place, their eyes warily turned back and focused on Reiner, Bertolt, and Eren, who seemed to be in a current state of shock as well. Whatever transpired between them in the last few minutes had obviously horrified the two suspected lads. Eren noticeably had a wary look on his face when he turned back to look at the tensed form of his 'comrades'. 

"It's too late now . . . heck, I don't even know what's right or wrong anymore." The blonde growled as he slowly took off the sling supporting his injured arm. "The only thing left to do now is for me to face the consequences of my actions . . ."

Hanji gasped at the sight of his steaming and yet _healing_ wound, directly similar to Eren's regeneration process whenever he injures himself. 

"...and as a warrior; to fulfill my duty to the bitter end!" Reiner finished, eyes determined and resolute.

The theories were correct.

"Reiner!" Bertolt called, alarmed. "Are we doing it right now?! Right here?!"

Their suspicions were correct.

"Yes." He replied. "We settle this, right here and now!"

But he was too caught up in his rage to notice Mikasa in action, raising her blade and ready to strike with a murderous look in her eyes. Her blades hit the duo, right at damaging areas but unfortunately not fatal ones. 

"Run Eren!"

Yet the said lad could only stare in shock as Reiner threw her off the Wall, calling out to his friend as a signal before a familiar light began wrapping the two in bright yellow sparks. 

Hanji willed her feet to run along with the other cadets in an attempt to call out to Eren and escape. 

"Eren! Get out of the way!" 

But they weren't fast enough.

A bright strike of lightning befell upon the two, and the force of the impact sent everyone flying back. The duo's bodies morphed, enlarging, strengthening, and when the smoke cleared there they now stood. The soldiers who once had fought by their side were gone. In their place now stood Humanity's biggest nemesis; the Armored and the Colossal Titan.

Hanji's eyes were blown wide open, her hand tightly gripping the hilt of her blades. These were the monsters who ensued the chaos five years ago, the murderers of thousands of lives. She could now find it difficult to believe that she had once treated them as comrades. These two do have guts, Hanji would give them that.

"Eren!" 

She gasped when she was too late to notice the Armored Titan sliding down the Wall with Eren in its grasp. "They're getting away!"

It was getting harder and harder to see. They couldn't attack, not with all this steam. But it seems that they didn't need to, for now at least, when another strike of lighting struck the escaping giant. Eren had transformed.

But that was probably the least of their worries now, seeing that the Colossal Titan, who seemed to have the intent of blocking them from reaching Reiner and Eren, was now swinging his humongous hand back and is rearing to hit them. 

"Everyone! Get away from the wall!" She immediately ordered, falling back as well and landing on the side with a few others right before they could get decimated by the incoming attack. 

"It's got Ymir!" A shriek from Christa, whom Hanji had just recently found out to be Historia, had them looking back up, only to see just in time how the steaming giant threw two bodies into its mouth, one being the injured Ymir.

That sent a cold chill down their spines, and they could only gape in shock. "This can't be . . ." Armin gasped, obviously still unable to bring himself to believe anything that's happening. "Bertolt . . ."

Hanji grit her teeth in frustration. Should they attack? Should they not? Either way, they surely are not getting out of this unscathed. She glanced at the frightened expressions of her subordinates. They definitely had not expected this to happen. 

"Everyone, listen up!" Let all else be damned. This was what they signed up for, after all. "All soldiers, prepare to _attack_! We're taking down the Colossal Titan right here and now!" She jumped back, allowing her 3DMG gear to pull her back upwards, with the others obediently following right behind her. "Surround that huge bastard!"

They flew around it, looking for leverage, searching for a penetrable spot, locking targets with its nape. Bertolt aimed for a punch, but he wasn't fast enough because of his hugeness. The soldiers were able to swiftly dodge, giving them the upper hand for speed. It seems that Bertolt's only trump card was his size and that's it. If the situation plays out like this for the rest of the fight, then they might actually stand a chance. 

"Now's our chance!" Hanji yelled, zeroing in on the nape. "Slice up his neck!"

The next thing that happened confused her; because for one second she was so close to the red flesh she could almost touch it, and her blades were more than ready to swing in for the kill. But the next second after, hot and _scorching_ steam suddenly came out of nowhere, making Hanji feel like her insides were boiling. She gasped at the heat, which was a huge mistake as it made it difficult for her to breathe. Their 3DMG gear wavered, and she could only manage to order the others to _"Fall back!"_ before her own anchors could no longer hold and she was swept away as well.

She aimed her legs down for a stable landing the minute she somehow sensed the safe ground to be nearing, because all this steam was indeed making her literally blind, leading her to rely on her other senses. Yet it seems that her senses aren't a hundred percent reliable as of the moment, because before she could even realize it, she was practically one inch from falling, with her forefoot the only one touching the flat surface of the wall and the rest literally levitating in the air. If she just so much as lean a little bit backwards, she would've been freefalling for 50 meters any second now. She can't help but release a sigh with her arms spread out for balance. 

But it turns out that her relief is short-lived. The mist had blocked her sight, effectively making her miss the flagpole coming her way. The minute it came to sight at a very close distance, however, her breath hitched, and she could do nothing but to feebly attempt to raise her arms in order to block what's incoming. Yet it still managed to hit her _square_ in the stomach with such a force, and as she was inevitably pushed backwards, the rest of her mind blanked out, with only one single thought left. And her eyes had automatically widened in realization.

_The baby..._

She could not scream. Hell, the steam was even making it hard to breathe now. It was as if time had slowed itself. All she could do was stare up at the gray skies slightly obscured by the fog, and hope that everyone would make it out alright even if she wasn't with them. She could almost wince when she imagined what her comrades' reaction would be at the news of her passing, most especially Erwin and...

... _Levi._

She felt a sad tug at her lips when the thought came to her that he now would never know that he had become a father over the span of the few weeks left of her life before all this had happened. For a second, it almost made her regret that she hadn't revealed it to him. But maybe now, he would no longer be bothered by her anymore. He'd have lesser things to deal with in his plate, now that she'd be gone. 

If circumstances were different, she would've smacked herself in the head right now. Cursed hormones making her feel insecure again.

She was closing her eyes. Heck, maybe she really was indeed ready to accept her fate. Or maybe she was losing consciousness. She didn't know. The pain in her head had been bothering her for a while now, and it probably reached to a point where it was enough to make her black out. But before she could even _think_ about savoring her last breath, a hand was what she had last seen before darkness consumed her, and a scream being the last thing she heard before she was enveloped in silence.

_"Hanji!"_

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was loooooong overdue ohmylord i wouldnt be surprised if youre ready to skewer me with your pitchforks now
> 
> and my writing style two years ago ughhhh dear sixteen year old me, wtf are u even doing


	13. Almost

"So there really was no titans at all?" Jean turned to ask his comrades.

"It seems so." One of the soldiers shrugged. "It's actually a little bit quiet out there."

He was then reminded of Eren's squad, wondering why they had not come back yet. He seriously prayed that they were alright and alive. He glanced at the cart nearby, and in it sat the injured Captain and the Wall Priest, who had a grim look on his face. Jean had heard the reports about him, most especially about his oh so infamous stubbornness to share even the littlest bit of information he knows. So yes it was expected that the Pastor would not be in the people's good graces now. 

He absently listened to the conversation Captain Levi was having with a few of the Military Police's units, scowling at how arrogant the cowards had sounded about not finding any Titans to battle with anywhere. 

"Oh I beg your pardon if you hadn't had the chance to fight Titans today." The Captain had replied, sarcasm practically oozing from his tone. "But if you are really so eager to fight them, why don't we join forces, huh? The Military Police and the Survey Corps combined. There sure will be plenty of expeditions outside the Walls in the near future."

The soldiers obviously had grown hesitant at this, thus drawing back and claiming that they're busy with 'work' from the interior. Jean scoffed. He can't believe he had once wanted to join them before. Now that he knows how they're nothing but worthless cowards, he most definitely did not regret joining the Survey Corps instead. 

_"The advance squad has returned!"_

Everyone's attention, including Jean's, immediately then turned to the newly arrived soldier, out of breath with eyes blown wide from running all the way here to deliver the news. 

"Alert Commander Pyxis!"

_There was no hole in the Wall?_

Jean pondered over the fact as the returned soldiers took in big gulps of water. If there was no hole and there were no Titans, then what was the warning for?

"But Commander, there was a situation back there." The informant added, slowly regaining his breath. "We were supposed to deliver our report to Trost right away, but then we suddenly ran into Section Commander Hanji's scout unit."

Amidst the forming crowd, a certain Captain's ears perked up at the mention of a certain name. 

"There were also the recruits from the 104th with them, but they don't have their equipment. And it also appears that..." A horrified look suddenly dawned upon the soldier's face. "... _three_ of them were actually _Titans!_ "

A collection of gasps echoed among the crowd, one of them coming from a shocked Jean. "What the hell are you talking about? There's _more_ of them? Three of them?!"

When he got no answer, he turned to Sasha, his shock intermixing with a bubble of anger. "Who were they?!"

Before the questioned brunette could respond, a calming hand was placed on his shoulder. "Kirschtein, calm down." Commander Erwin lowly ordered before turning to the kneeling man. "What happened when these three had transformed?"

"The scout unit led by Squad Leader Hanji immediately engaged in a fight with the Armored and the Colossal Titan, sir." And the soldier seemed to deflate at that fact. "But right when we were about to join them in battle...we were too late. It was over."

This seemed to shock everyone more. Levi had to ignore the sudden chill to crawl down his spine at the thought of what could have happened to them...to _her._ He knew he should have attempted to stop her from going, especially after he heard her vomiting in the bathroom after their last meeting before they departed. He was no idiot. Even with the faucet switched on loudly, his sharp ears still managed to pick up on heaving noises. If he were being honest, he himself didn't know what had compelled him to stay rooted to his spot outside the door, even when he knew that he should have gone in there and could've done something. Erwin had called him before he could fully make up his mind. The only thing that eased the small pressure in his chest, however, was the fact that she had eventually stopped puking, and was silent inside the room other than the obnoxiously loud noise of running water. That was the only thing that made him relieved enough to move forward, but it wasn't enough to make him stop worrying though. 

"But you said that there were _three_ of them who appeared to be Titans." His attention turned back to the blonde Commander, who had a confused eyebrow raised as he thought aloud. "How is it that Hanji's squad only fought with the Armored and the Colossal?"

"The other one was injured, sir, and could not fight." The soldier replied. "I heard she was in a coma, and needed medical attention."

" _She?_ " Jean can't help but voice out his wonder. 

"I see." Erwin trailed off. "Was there anyone else wounded in the fight?"

"Yes, sir." The man said. "Squad Leader Hanji."

Levi automatically sat up straight. He absolutely could not ignore the cold chill again _now._ "What happened?" It was the first time for him to speak ever since the start of this small gathering as everyone's attention turned to him, and he could swear he saw a suspiciously knowing look pass over Erwin's face, which was then immediately covered up with a stoic face. Although the blonde's worry was quite evident as well. 

"We don't know the specifics, but her subordinate, Moblit-san, had mentioned a concussion and of him catching her in time before she could fall off the Wall." The soldier said.

_Damn it, Hanji._ He can't help but silently curse. Now he's even more regretting not stopping her in the first place, right when he still could. He knew she was in no condition to go. He absently grit his teeth in frustration, before his glare turned to a worried Erwin. The Commander didn't seem to bother to hide his distraught now, especially when it seems that he's damn well thinking about the same thing Levi was having in his mind. 

_They shouldn't have let her go._

"Everyone, saddle up!" Erwin was fast to act. "We're going to assist Squad Leader Hanji's squad. We'll be riding through the Walls to avoid the possible encounter with the Armored and the Colossal Titan. We're leaving in five minutes!"

"Yes Erwin-Danchō!"

"I'm coming along." Levi immediately announced before standing up, picking up his gear and cloak.

The blonde obviously does not agree with this. "Levi, no, you're--"

"I'm _coming_ with you." The Captain shot back slowly with more emphasis, speaking in a tone that meant that this was not up for discussion. Erwin frowned. He was not happy with this. He didn't let him go in the first place because of his injury. But one look at the resolve reflected in Levi's cobalt eyes, he gave in. Now that he thought about it, he was seriously getting a sense of _déjà vu_ because of this. 

"Alright then." He relented. "But you will remain on the Wall and not engage in any fight, understood?"

Levi didn't give him a coherent reply. Instead, the man strapped on his gear and clasped his cloak. That alone seemed to be answer enough.

_We're coming, Hanji._

~

"M-Moblit..."

The said man turned in surprise, his gaze immediately finding the tired form of his leader, who seemed to be barely awake.

"Hanji-san!"

"W-what happened? Did w-we...win?" Was Hanji's attempt at a straight sentence. Fortunately it seems that Moblit understood her right. 

"Almost. We almost did." He replied. "But they still got away."

Hanji tried to sit up, but the minute her gaze started turning and the pounding in her head seeming to protest at this movement, she allowed Moblit to lay her back down. "A-and...E...ren?"

Her subordinate didn't bother to hide his dismay. "They got him too."

_Well, shit._

She tried to retrace back what had happened, or at least what she had last remembered before blacking out. There was Christa, or Historia rather...Reiner and Bertolt...lightning...Armored and Colossal Titan...Eren...steam...so much _steam..._ failed attack... _more steam..._ and then her falling off the Wall. 

The very last thing on her mind suddenly came flashing back, and she slowly lifted her hand to let it rest upon her stomach at the realization.

"Th...t-the b-ba..." With her mind clearly a little bit disoriented, she began mumbling to herself, thoughts swirling in her head, yet failing to voice them out properly. 

"The what, Hanji-san?" Moblit asked, clearly noticing her struggle to speak.

Hanji's mouth was not cooperating, and she was getting more frustrated, not even thinking clearly about what she was trying to say.

"Rest, Hanji-san." The man told her that it was okay if she didn't talk now. She really is in no condition to do much yet. Having a lot of things in her mind would only exhaust her further. 

The woman seemed to protest at this. "N...n-no, my--"

"Someone's coming!"

The duo's attention was suddenly grabbed by a sudden announcement. Both their eyes simultaneously turned to the direction a random soldier was pointing, although Hanji's sight wasn't that stable and clear for her to see properly especially now that she wasn't wearing her glasses. But when her eyes had started to focus even for the slightest bit, she was then granted with the slightly blurry sight of a huge group of people riding towards them, along with the flurry of familiar green cloaks. 

"It's Erwin-Danchō!" 

The scientist didn't know if she should sigh with relief or tense with worry. _They came..._

"...and Levi-Heicho's with him!"

And that was her undoing. Hanji definitely couldn't bring herself to hold back her relieved sigh at that.

_He came._

"Don't worry, Hanji-san. Help is coming." Moblit assured her, his hand finding her shoulder again as if to offer her comfort.

She can't prevent herself from silently adding in her head that it was more than help that was coming.

_"You moron."_ It was as if she can already hear what Levi's first words to her was gonna be. 

_**He**_ _was..._ is _coming._

And that fact alone is more than enough help.

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dear me from two years ago, can i give you one good smack in the head? just one, i promise.


	14. "You moron."

It was Moblit who had approached Erwin first when the Commander dismounted his horse. But since they were too far away, she didn't bother to listen to their conversation. There was a faint ringing in her ears that she was only beginning to take notice of. It was growing gradually louder, making her drone out the ruckus happening around her and allowing her a moment to close her eyes. Her head hurt--but heck, she was practically used to it by now. Her throat was parched. She could barely move her limbs, utter numbness holding her down like a ship anchor that weighed heavier than an average titan. She wanted to move, to maybe sit or stand and be of some use. Not some heavy baggage the others would be forced to drag around. She would only slow them down. But her body simply was _just_ not that cooperative as of now, and she's starting to hate every passing second with her here having nothing to do.

The sun blaring at her closed lids wasn't helping either. All the heat and the brightness did nothing but to only make her headache worse.

When a shadow loomed over her, however, she didn't know if she should thank the heavens or take notice of the not so good gut feeling that's trying to warn her for something she currently has no idea what. 

Keeping her eyes shut, Hanji was about to delve into her thoughts further when the voice, or the shadow rather, suddenly spoke.

"Oi."

She paused. Do shadows even speak? How did that happen?

"Shitty Glasses."

There was that gut feeling again. Her mind was a mess. A name was practically at the tip of her tongue. There was a nagging feeling at the back of her head telling her that she knows one person who calls her by that name, she just couldn't put a finger on who.

"You moron."

And it clicked.

Ah, yes.

_Shorty._

It was as if the relief of having him here had vanished like a bubble being popped. Now, what her gut feeling was trying to express became clearer as she opened her eyes, only to be met by those oh so familiar grey irises that were staring her down with a burning emotion she couldn't name, and then she knew right then and there...

She was dead meat. That's for sure.

She opened her mouth in an attempt to speak, to try to slip back on her happy go lucky façade and passively say that her current situation was no biggie, that it wasn't something she couldn't handle, that she was alright, that he had nothing to worry about and she'd be back to full condition in no time. All those, she had wanted to say. But her annoying throat--that currently felt like the treeless fields on one of their expeditions with the sun drying up the land--wasn't allowing her to.

She saw Levi cross his arms, with what seems to be an unreadable look occupying his face. It was as if he was saying _I told you so_ without exactly wording it out. Had he known that she wasn't feeling that well? The woman thought back to Ehrmich District, and even way back to Survey Corps headquarters before that. Hanji recalled how she was already feeling under the weather, all the way back there, with a few unfortunate moments of her so close to giving in to her sickness evenwith Levi in the same room as her. She was damn sure that he had noticed. That would only explain how he's probably _pissed off_ as of the moment. She could only wonder how madhe would be if he had actually known the real reason behind her sickness, and to then find out what she had brought upon herself now, engaging in battle when she obviously was not fit enough to do so. He'd be furious--so _insanely_ furious that he might just kick her off the wall himself or something. On that note, why had he come with Erwin though? He was injured for Pete's sake.

Hanji mentally scoffed at that. That question, if voiced out, would only backfire at her, with her own words echoing back at her. _Why'd_ she _come to the mission? She was_ pregnant _for Pete's sake._

By the gods, Hanji would hate to take a peek at his mind now. She was a hundred and one percent certain that the man was silently concocting thousands of ways to finish her off as more seconds of silence pass by. His intensely burning gaze on her suddenly made her want to shrink. Dear Sina, this man can seriously be terrifyingly intimidating at times. It was just unfortunate of her to now be on the receiving end of his impending fury. 

When she was somehow a bit certain that she'd found her voice, she moved again to speak, no longer being able to stand her companion's tense silence and scorching gaze. But words did not come out of her mouth, unlike what she had expected. Instead, it was coughs--hard and sudden. They kept shooting forth like bullets, racking her body for every single one that was released. She silently cursed herself as she moved her hand to cover her mouth, leaning her head to the side and away from Levi. A coughing fit now was definitely wrong timing, especially with her dry throat. 

She could barely hear the huff Levi had released, the first ever sound he had made for the last couple of minutes. The coughs were starting to recede, and when she turned back with a hand still covering her mouth, she was absolutely surprised to find Levi there kneeling beside her, offering her his waterskin. 

"Drink." Was his single worded order. Hanji reluctantly complied, leaning up as he lowered the water skin to her to let her drink. The cool liquid literally _blessed_ her throat, and she was too indulged in the small luxury the water was offering her that she almost didn't notice the warm hand at her nape, gently supporting her head. She leaned away when she was done, and he moved to help her lay back down but she protested, stubbornly sitting up even though it didn't help the pounding in her head to lessen. Her world didn't turn as she had first expected. Perhaps the water had helped in more ways than one. But that didn't mean that the ache in her head was leaving her anytime soon, either. 

"Thank you." She said, silently testing the waters. Her voice was still a little bit groggy, but at least she was able to speak now. 

Levi didn't reply, instead remained silent as his eyes trained back to her; it was as if he was waiting for her to speak first, _daring_ her to spew out her excuses and passive claims that she was fine. Hanji knew that she'd get something more ruthless than a good smack in the head if she took that bait, so she immediately thought up of another thing to say.

"I never expected you'd come, short stack." She began. "What, missing me already?" She tried to playfully elbow him, but it came out weak and soft since her arm was still a bit numb. 

The man remained as flat-faced and deadpan as ever. He once again crossed his arms. Seriously, does he have nothing else to do with those arms other than fold them repeatedly?

"I never expected _you_ to come along either, Shitty Glasses." He finally replied. Hanji slightly winced. Why does it seem like everything she'd try to say would backfire?

"You know I'm not one to sit back while the others battle at the frontlines." she mumbled, although it was loud enough for Levi to hear. "Especially since _you_ were _supposed to be_ out of commission for a while."

"Take a look at your situation again and tell me straight in the face who is in better condition between us two." Levi spat, blessing her with his infamous slanted eyed glare. Hanji almost wanted to cower from the intensity of that gaze. She knew she was done for.

"I'm still--"

"I'm taking you back to the base with me." the man effectively cuts off her complaint. "You can't expect to proceed with the state you're in, dumbass."

"I'm fi--"

"Say that you're fine and I will fucking throw you off the wall myself." Levi warned, not holding back the bite in his voice. He grabbed her by the arm he assumed is uninjured in a manner so firm and gentle it ultimately contradicted his spiteful tone. And then in a slightly calmer voice, he asked. "You think you can stand?"

Hanji wasn't exactly sure, but her tongue had other plans. "I'm was only scratched, and probably a little dehydrated, Levi, not disabled."

"Keep testing my patience and you will be." the Captain shot back, before sliding his free hand on Hanji's back to support her as she gradually sat up. The woman's hand instinctively flew to his shoulder as she did so, her grip ever so tight despite her bruised state. Just as she expected, nausea hit her like a truck once again at the sudden movement, and when her face scrunched up and her hand tightened more to the point it was close to crushing the man's shoulder, Levi decided to ignore it for now. Instead, he paused to let her breathe for a few moments before asking if she could proceed.

Admittedly, Hanji was _very_ surprised by the Captain's tough yet at the same time tender treatment. It was true that they had seemingly grown closer from the past few months, but still not to the point where skinship is completely comfortable for the both of them. The boundary was still present. That's why you can't blame her for feeling slightly appalled when he was now apparently tending to her with a gentleness she never thought he was capable of. Normally, he would've just thrown her over his shoulders or dragged her across the floor like a sack of food rations, regardless of her injuries. _Normally_ , he wouldn't even _bother_ to come to her aid in the first place. And yet here he is now, asking if she was okay enough to stand.

When she gave him a slightly hesitant nod, his grip on her tightened even more as he slowly pulled her up, grunting when he belatedly remembered their height difference. But with Hanji slouching because of the soreness of her body, height wasn't really that much of a problem as of this moment.

It only took a second, however, for Hanji to notice that her knees were violently trembling; and the moment she did, she collapsed right back to the ground. She would've faceplanted back to the concrete if it weren't for the arms immediately wrapping themselves around her torso, and her heart literally skipped a beat when the arm on her front tightened around her belly.

"Tch. What did I say about telling me you're fine when you're actually not." He grumbled. Hanji was about to shoot back a reply when the arm around her front suddenly reappeared behind her knees. Her breath hitched when she felt the masculine muscles around her contract as she was lifted in the air and laid against the broad chest, her head immediately deposited on the junction that connected Levi's neck and shoulder.

There was a warm tingle at the tips of her ears, and it would have developed into a full-blown and vibrant redness on her entire face if she hadn't noticed the way her long legs dangled almost awkwardly while being supported up. This served as a solid reminder of the how their heights vastly contrasted from each other.

As if sensing the snarky remark making its way on her tongue, Levi snapped before she could even manage to voice it out of her mouth.

"Not a word." There was a deadly tilt in his tone. "Unless you want your heavy ass to mop the ground raw as I drag you back to headquarters." 

Hanji knew better than to make light of that threat.

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dunno if yall noticed, but there was a teeny tiny change of writing style in this chap compared to the last one. this one was written by 17 year old me almost six months ago, who apparently has slightly improved her 'writing skills' (or at least she thinks she did, *coughs). im probbly gonna start working on editing this thing from the ground up (coz im sure youve read through the absurd monstrosity of a book created by 16 year old me) but im not sure when. anyways, im sending in another update next week! til then yall


	15. Fragments

Hanji blinked at her reflection in the mirror. Her unruly, chestnut brown hair was down and she was in the middle of slipping on her white lab gown when her eyes paused upon seeing something unusual. The front of her shirt had been unbuttoned, exposing her chest binders. But what caught her attention was the small, almost unnoticeable bump in her stomach area. It could almost be passed off as fat, but she knew her own body better than anyone else.

She was beginning to show.

Fortunately, her shirts were loose enough for it to be unnoticed by other people. She had admittedly lost track of what month she was currently in, but it seemed that she was already pretty far along since her morning sicknesses had begun to subside. However, this also entailed that the days of her secret staying hidden are numbered. It won't be long before she'd grow big enough for it to not be passed off as body fat. She'd have to think of a game plan by then.

Absently, her palm placed itself on top of the small bump, relishing in the warmth of her hand. She wasn't on her own now. Past events had taught her the immense fear she felt--not for her own, but for the child. She never knew that she would grow this scared of harming the living being inside her womb.

She'd never really given the future much thought. It wasn't a luxury that someone like her in this line of work could afford. Fantasizing the joys of what tomorrow would bring only makes everything harder and more painful once your time is up, especially when you realize that a tomorrow is never coming for you. Call them pessimistic, but that's just how they learned to cope in order to survive in a world as dysfunctional as this. Every morning and night matter, and they live in it as if it were their first and last--not just for them, but also for those who already had lived their final days.

But now her perspective was opened in a new light. They were fighting for humanity's future. So many had sacrificed theirs in order for the ones standing now to see more mornings and live through more nights. And blame it on the maternal instincts rubbing off on her or the occasional bursts of hormones, but she will fight both heaven and hell if she had to, just to ensure that a tomorrow will always come for the little one she's carrying.

Hanji almost let out a chuckle when she pictured a toddler running through the halls as fast as their small feet could take them, trying to run away after being caught messing around their father's office, with the Corporal himself hot on the child's heels.

Her breath hitched a second later when she realized what she had just imagined.

_In the name of Sina,_ _Hanji get ahold of yourself._ She inwardly snapped, moving her hands up to start buttoning down her shirt.

Still somehow stuck in her little reverie, she was a little late to notice the footsteps resounding outside her door. The minute her ears picked up the sound of it closing in on her room, she snapped out of it just in time to cover her exposed front only a second before her door burst open, a scowling Levi standing right at her doorway.

The shiver that rolled down her spine immediately told her that she isn't going to like what's about to happen next.

"We need to talk."

~°*°~

_A few days ago..._

The buzz around the headquarters began to calm down. After Eren was successfully retrieved, in exchange for the lives of many soldiers and Erwin's arm, the Survey Corps fell into its usual routine that they've grown accustomed to after every incident. Reports were submitted, casualties were compensated, and everyone was given a few days of break before they will soon be required to dive in once again into the next problem they'll be facing.

Unfortunately, a certain scientist doesn't believe in breaks.

Despite having bandages wrapped around her injuries and her muscles aching every now and then because of their soreness, all of those were automatically pushed back into the back burner of her mind when Moblit handed her his reports of the village he had been instructed to investigate. Hanji was quick to pour herself over the new information, disregarding the fact that she was still healing and had never stopped to take a bath since they've returned.

Her eyes scanned every paragraph, every number and coordinate that needs to be deciphered. She reached up in habit to push up her glasses, but soon remembered that she was wearing her battle goggles. Her last pair of glasses had mysteriously vanished on that particular night she would rather not remember. She made a mental note to purchase a new set soon.

The night was late. That much was certain. The darkness outside her window tells her that the midnight hour is upon them, and yet she could never care less for that. She had made sure to eat dinner though--if you call two packs of field rations as dinner. She had grown more mindful of herself now, since the life inside her womb served as a timely reminder that it's not her wellbeing she should only be thinking of.

Shifting from paper to paper, she busied herself with jotting down notes of her perspective as she examined every detail Moblit has given her. Her back was aching, she noticed. She had probably been sitting here, grossing over the reports for hours now. But she was still buzzing. She had to finish this or else all she hypothesized will soon not make sense once she forgets even the tiniest detail that mattered.

_Meanwhile..._

Levi inwardly groaned. Recently they had not been able to use the headquarters because of all that transpired. This entailed that even his room was left unattended for an extensive amount of time, thus explaining why dust had managed to accumulate on every nook and corner he could see. He made a noise of disgust as he ran a finger over his windowsill and it came up caked in dark grime. Tossing out the window his initial plan to sleep, he immediately geared himself up. He was _not_ resting in a room as filthy as his current quarters.

He was in the middle of picking up the bed linens to dust them off when he suddenly heard a loud thump from the room above him. Hanji's bedroom was situated above his, which she _rarely_ uses because the woman practically lives in her lab. Much to Levi's pleasure, in fact, since he knows he would barely stand it if the noisy woman decides to one day wreck chaos in her quarters. He had relished those peaceful days where the room above his was unoccupied, that's why he could automatically feel the irritated tick in his forehead the minute he realized that Hanji had indeed retreated into her room this time, doing god-knows-what.

He heaved a sigh, making a mental reminder to march up there if she makes further unnecessary noise.

Hanji blinked at her ceiling, taking a few seconds to register what had recently happened. She was reaching for the refill bottle for her ink, which was _supposed to be_ just at her arm's reach. But she was too late to realized that she was leaning too far off the chair, thus resulting to her toppling down the floor in a heap of fallen papers she had somehow managed to drag down with her.

She rapidly blinked her eyes again when she realized that her ceiling was spinning. That's weird. Ceilings don't spin.

Attempting to sit up only proved to be a futile action, seeing as it only worsened her case instead of relieve it.

She sighed exasperatedly when she felt a small ache starting to grow at the back of her head from the impact. The spinning wasn't going away. She outwardly groaned when a feeling of lethargy suddenly settled on her limbs. Maybe if she closed her eyes for a few minutes, it would alleviate.

And close her eyes she did.

Levi gripped the cloth tight as he vigorously wiped his desk clean for the third time. Levi huffed in satisfaction when it gave a tiny squeak as he rubbed his finger on its surface. He picked back up his broom as he went to crouch down to the floor, slightly wincing when he caught a glimpse of all the dirt and dust that greeted him underneath the bed. Realizing a better strategy, he straightened back up and dragged his bed to the other side of the room, better exposing the unclean floor beneath it.

_Tsk. Filthy._

However, when there came an odd glint in the middle of all the grime, he paused. It was easy to go unnoticed at first since it was literally covered in dust, but the way its reflective properties mirrored the light in his room was pretty hard to miss.

It was a pair of glasses.

A rather _very_ familiar pair.

He picked it up with his face twisted in disgust. How in hell did these get under his bed?

He picked up another clean cloth, thoroughly wiping it on the glass lens. Once he was satisfied that it was clear of any dirt, he headed out of his room, aiming to go up to the scientist's room to return it to her. No wonder the idiot was wearing her battle goggles even when they're indoors. How it ended up in his room was still a big mystery though. He figured it'd be best to ask her himself.

Sighing, he was just stepping out of his door when it suddenly hit him hard.

_**'** _ _**Oh please. Don't be such a boring old man, short stack. Get a life!'** _

Levi swore his limbs and mental functions froze as if his very being was encased in freezing ice. Wait was that Hanji?

_**'I** _ _**told you you won't last more than two mugs, shitty glasses.'** _

His hand absently found purchase on his doorknob, gripping it tightly as fragments of memories he never remembered having before suddenly came flashing back. His head was predictably starting to throb painfully.

_**'I-I'm fiiine, short stack. Mm can walk on m-my own, y'know.'** _ ****

_**'Bullshit. You literally walked straight into a pillar at your first attempt, dumbass.'** _

_**'Pfft no I did NOT! *hic! 'mm perfectly fiiine.'** _

_**'Tell me that again when your wobbling legs aren't seconds away from giving out.'** _

Levi belatedly realized that he had unconsciously retreated back inside his room, and that he had seated himself on his desk chair, knowing full well that his own legs might not hold him up much longer if he stayed upright. _What was this?_

**_'_ ** **_Leeeviii,_ ** **_I need t-to tell you something.'_ **

**_'What is it?'_ **

**_'Come closer!'_ **

**_'Seriously, Four Eyes, if you--'_ **

As if he were slapped awake, Levi violently jolted back to reality. He could feel the beads of sweat trailing down the side of his face as his mind worked on processing what just happened. His head was still painfully pounding, strong enough to make black spots slowly dance in his vision. Gripping the back of his chair, he carefully stood, walking towards and letting himself fall on the bed without bothering to drag it back to its original position against the wall. His headache wasn't making things any better. Sleep suddenly sounded so enticing, and he strangely felt too tired to do anything else but close his eyes--

\--the last thing on his mind being what had transpired _that night._

~°*°~

_Back to the present day..._

"Ever heard about the mundane term called 'knocking'?" Hanji huffed as the man stepped in, closing the door behind him with a click. "If I didn't know you better, I'd say that you're an old pervert trying to sneak in a glance at a woman in the middle of changing--"

"I remember."

Her fingers stilled in the middle of clasping the last button. His expression--which she can see through the mirror--was serious, and she somehow didn't like it one bit. _Wait, did she hear that right?_

"Remember what?" she prodded. The cogs in her mind automatically began to connect the dots, and she could literally feel her blood running cold when she realized what he could be implying.

_Please don't let it be what I think it is._ _Please don't let it be what I think it is._ She mentally chanted. _Oh Sina, please don't--_

"The night of that celebration months ago. I remember it."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Well, shit.

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


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